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   PID: Synchronet 3.20a-Win32 master/a59d7d36d Apr 13 2023 MSC 1929   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.20-Win32 master/a59d7d36d Apr 13 2023 MSC 1929   
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   SB QST @ ARL $ARLB006   
   ARLB006 ARRL Advocates for Radio Amateurs as FCC Proposes Changes to   
   60-Meter Band   
      
   ZCZC AG06   
   QST de W1AW    
   ARRL Bulletin 6  ARLB006   
   From ARRL Headquarters    
   Newington CT  April 28, 2023   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB QST ARL ARLB006   
   ARLB006 ARRL Advocates for Radio Amateurs as FCC Proposes Changes to   
   60-Meter Band   
      
   The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comments   
   about changing the secondary allocation available to radio amateurs   
   on 60 meters. The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)   
   on April 21, 2023, that deals with the band. In a prior petition,   
   ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio, urged protecting   
   the existing use of the band by amateurs when adding a new   
   allocation adopted internationally.   
      
   Currently, radio amateurs in the US have access to five discrete   
   channels on a secondary basis: 5332 kHz, 5348 kHz, 5358.5 kHz, 5373   
   kHz, and 5405 kHz. Users of these channels are limited to an   
   effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 W PEP.   
      
   The FCC proposes to allocate 15 kHz of contiguous bandwidth between   
   5351.5 - 5366.5 kHz on a secondary basis with a maximum power of 15   
   W EIRP (equivalent to 9.15 W ERP). This allocation was adopted at   
   the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15).   
      
   The federal government is the primary user of the 5 MHz spectrum.   
   The government's manager of spectrum use, the National   
   Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), has   
   expressed support for implementing the allocation as adopted at   
   WRC-15. Doing so would result in amateurs losing access to four of   
   the five discrete channels, and power limits would be reduced from   
   100 W ERP to 9.15 W ERP. However, it would provide access to a new   
   contiguous 15 kHz band that includes one of the current five   
   channels.   
      
   In 2017, ARRL petitioned the FCC to keep the four 60-meter channels   
   that fall outside the new band, as well as the current operating   
   rules, including the 100 W PEP ERP limit.   
      
   The ARRL petition stated, "Such implementation will allow radio   
   amateurs engaged in emergency and disaster relief communications,   
   and especially those between the United States and the Caribbean   
   basin, to more reliably, more flexibly, and more capably conduct   
   those communications."   
      
   ARRL said that years of amateur radio experience using the five   
   discrete channels have shown that amateurs can coexist with primary   
   users at 5 MHz while complying with the regulations established for   
   their use. The petition also stated, "Neither ARRL, nor, apparently,   
   NTIA, is aware of a single reported instance of interference to a   
   federal user by a radio amateur operating at 5 MHz to date."   
      
   In the NPRM, the FCC recognizes that Canada has already adopted   
   60-meter allocations and related rules that align with those   
   proposed by ARRL. The Commission wrote, "Finally, we note that   
   Canada has essentially implemented the same rules as ARRL has   
   requested."  The NPRM can be found online at, https://www.fcc.gov/ .   
      
   The FCC proposed to allocate the 15 kHz bandwidth but stopped short   
   of making a proposal on whether the existing channels should remain   
   allocated to amateur radio and what the power limitations should be.   
   They requested comments on their proposal and the related channel   
   and power issues.   
      
   Comments will be due 60 days after the NPRM is published in the   
   Federal Register, which is expected within the next two weeks.   
   NNNN   
   /EX   
   --- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32   
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