NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 3, 2003--When delegates gather June 9 in Geneva, Switzerland, for World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 (WRC-03), Amateur Radio will enjoy robust representation. The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is looking to WRC-03 to resolve the longstanding issue of a harmonized worldwide 40-meter amateur allocation. In addition, the IARU has taken positions on several other issues of importance to hams.
"Forty meters is the biggie," says ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, who will attend the month-long international assembly in the role of administrative officer of the IARU observer delegation headed by President Larry Price, W4RA. "It's complicated, controversial and involves multiple radio services, and there's simply no way of predicting what the outcome will be."
Citing its desire to "meet the needs of
communications for humanitarian assistance," The IARU has expressed strong
support for a realignment of the band to make available to hams globally 300
kHz of spectrum in the vicinity of 7 MHz.
 IARU President Larry Price, W4RA, will head the IARU delegation to WRC-03 in Geneva. |
While Region 2 amateurs--including US hams--now enjoy 7.000 to 7.300 MHz, hams in most of the rest of the world--Regions 1 and 3--may use only 7.000 to 7.100 MHz. Methods to get the issue off the dime must address the incompatibility arising from how, where and on what timetable the broadcasters in Regions 1 and 3 should be shifted to higher frequencies while continuing to meet the needs of fixed and mobile services in the band. The IARU already has expressed its support for three possible plans to phase out broadcasting over a period of time.
In addition to Price and Sumner, the IARU delegation to WRC-03--sponsored by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)--also will include Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM; Michael J. Owen, VK3KI, and Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. In addition, Robert W. Jones, VE7RWJ, will serve as a consultant to the IARU during WRC-03. Jones, the immediate past director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau and a conference veteran, has a particular interest in the 7-MHz issue.
ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, and ARRL Technical Relations Specialist Jon Siverling, WB3ERA, will serve on the US delegation, headed by Janice Obuchowski, a former assistant secretary for communications and information and former administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
Other Amateur Radio-related agenda items include proposed revisions to Article 25 of the Radio Regulations. Article 25 details the requirements for Amateur Radio and includes the obligation to demonstrate Morse code proficiency to operate below 30 MHz. Sumner said he expects the WRC-03 delegates to delete the international requirement, although administrations could continue to require Morse proficiency if they wished to do so.
 ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, will serve as administrative officer for the IARU delegation to WRC-03. |
The IARU favors a revision to Paragraph 25.6 to incorporate an ITU Recommendation (ITU-R M.1544) by reference to establish a minimum international standard for Amateur Radio licensing. The IARU also supports adding two new provisions to Article 25. One would urge administrations to take steps to allow amateur stations to prepare for and meet communication needs to support disaster relief. That's something US hams take for granted, but it's not commonplace in some other countries, Sumner pointed out. The second would authorize administrations to permit an individual licensed in another country to operate temporarily while in their territory "subject to such conditions or restrictions it may impose." Such arrangements are common, but the international Radio Regulations do not explicitly provide for them.
The IARU also has expressed support for giving greater flexibility to administrations in the formation of Amateur Radio call signs, an agenda item that Sumner said "appears to be non-controversial."
Expressing concern over interference
potential, the IARU opposes allocating any spectrum to the Earth Exploration
Satellite Service (Active) to deploy spaceborne synthetic aperture radars
(SARs) in the 430 to 440 MHz band. Amateur Radio is co-primary at 430 to 440
MHz in Region 1 and in several countries in Region 2.
 ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, will be a member of the US delegation to WRC-03. |
As an observer at the conference, the IARU can only request that ITU member-states take its views into consideration when deciding on WRC-03 agenda items. ARRL has launched a special WRC-03 campaign to help generate the funds needed to continue the defense of Amateur Radio spectrum. Sumner said "unquantifiable thousands of hours by volunteers and staff members" have gone into WRC-03 preparations.
More than a dozen other Amateur Radio licensees are expected to be in Geneva to help represent Amateur Radio. They include Jim Dean, VE3IQ, of the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) as a member of Canada's delegation, IARU Region 1 Vice Chairman Tafa Diop, 6W1KI, as an African Telecommunications Union observer, IARU Vice President David Wardlaw, VK3ADW, on the Australia delegation, Region 1 Chairman Ole Garpestad, LA2RR, on the Norwegian delegation and SRR President Roman Thomas, RZ3AA, on Russia's delegation.
WRC-03 concludes July 4. More information on WRC-03 is available on the ITU WRC-03 Web page and on the FCC Web site.
Given the international nature of WRC-03, the
ITU has advised those attending the conference "to take prophylactic measures
in order to reduce to a minimum the risk of contamination" from SARS--Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The ITU noted that the World Health Organization
was monitoring the SARS situation
on its Web site.
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