SB QST @ ARL $ARLB003   
   ARLB003 FCC Opens Brief Window for Comments on WRC-2015 Draft   
   Recommendations   
      
   ZCZC AG03   
   QST de W1AW   
   ARRL Bulletin 3  ARLB003   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington CT  January 30, 2014   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB QST ARL ARLB003   
   ARLB003 FCC Opens Brief Window for Comments on WRC-2015 Draft   
   Recommendations   
      
   The FCC has invited comments by February 18 on the latest batch of   
   draft recommendations of its Advisory Committee for World   
   Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-2015). At its January 27   
   meeting, the Advisory Committee (WAC) approved draft recommendations   
   on a number of issues that will be considered by WRC-2015. Some   
   items, including one which could possibly lead to changes to 60   
   meters in the long term, could affect the Amateur and   
   Amateur-Satellite services. ARRL Chief Technology Officer Brennan   
   Price, N4QX, is a member of the WAC, which is chartered to allow   
   non-federal government entities to "provide to the [FCC] advice,   
   technical support, and recommended proposals for the 2015 World   
   Radiocommunication Conference."   
      
   "Based upon an initial review of the draft recommendations forwarded   
   to the Commission, the International Bureau, in coordination with   
   other Commission Bureaus and Offices, tentatively concludes that we   
   can generally support most of the attached WRC-15 Advisory Committee   
   draft recommendations," the Commission said in a January 28 Public   
   Notice.   
      
   The FCC also seeks comment on draft proposals from the National   
   Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) as well as on   
   the International Bureau's initial conclusions with regard to the   
   WRC-15 Advisory Committee draft recommendations.   
      
   WRC-2012 Resolution 649 invited WRC-2015, to consider allocating "an   
   appropriate amount of spectrum, not necessarily contiguous," to the   
   Amateur Service on a secondary basis within the band 5250 to 5450   
   kHz. "In order to maintain effective and reliable communications   
   capability throughout the sunspot cycle, allocations at regular   
   intervals are desirable, in order to permit operation as close to   
   the maximum usable frequency as possible," the WAC said in its draft   
   recommendations. Incumbent services in the 5250 to 5450 kHz range   
   include fixed, mobile, and radiolocation services.   
      
   "A secondary allocation from 5275 to 5450 kHz avoids the unsuitable   
   segment allocated to the Radiolocation Service, reduces the interval   
   between HF amateur allocations below 10 MHz to permit reliable   
   operation throughout the sunspot cycle, and maximizes the   
   flexibility of Amateur Service stations to effectively communicate   
   within the secondary allocation and fulfills their obligations to   
   avoid harmful interference to primary services," the WAC concluded.   
      
   WRC-2015 will also consider a number of issues that could impact   
   amateur allocations above 420 MHz, including a possible extension of   
   the current worldwide allocation to the Earth Exploration-Satellite   
   service in the band 9300 to 9900 MHz by up to 600 MHz "within the   
   frequency bands 8700 to 9300 MHz and/or 9900 to 10,500 MHz"   
   Incumbent services in the 9900 to 10,500 MHz range include the   
   Radiolocation, Fixed, Mobile, Amateur, and Amateur-Satellite   
   services.   
      
   The Amateur Service is secondary at 10,000 to 10,500 MHz worldwide,   
   and the Amateur-Satellite Service is secondary at 10,450 to 10,500   
   MHz worldwide.   
      
   The FCC said comments provided by interested parties will assist it   
   in its consultations with the US Department of State and NTIA in the   
   development of US positions for WRC-2015. "The recommendations...may   
   evolve in the course of interagency discussions as we approach   
   WRC-15 and, therefore, do not constitute a final US Government   
   position on any issue," the FCC Public Notice stressed.   
      
   Comments should reference IB Docket 04-286 and specific   
   recommendations by WAC document number. Interested parties may file   
   comments via the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) at   
   http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/ . The ARRL plans to file comments in this   
   proceeding.   
   NNNN   
   /EX   
      
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   Not only is the Universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can   
   think. - Werner Heisenberg   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
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