Per Mike WE0H's note to Mal G3KEV, it's looking gloomy here -- if we get 5 mhz
at all, it might be greatly reduced in bandwidth and/or power. (QRSS QRPP?)
Mike W2AG
QST de W1AW
ARRL Bulletin 53 ARLB053
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT September 10, 2002
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB053
ARLB053 NTIA gives thumbs down to 5 MHz petition
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration--the NTIA--has
recommended that the FCC not grant an ARRL petition for a domestic-only,
secondary Amateur Radio allocation at 5 MHz. The NTIA regulates radio spectrum
allocated to the federal government. The last-minute recommendation followed
hundreds of largely favorable comments and reply comments from
organizations--including the ARRL--and from individuals.
In an August 21 letter, the NTIA's Fredrick R. Wentland said federal agencies
are making extensive use of HF for emergency services,including communications
support for the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard and Department of
Justice law enforcement activities. ''NTIA believes the Commission's current
proposal does not adequately provide for protection from harmful interference
to these critical government operations primary in the band,'' said Wentland,
who is NTIA's acting associate administrator for spectrum management.
ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, and ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP,
plan to meet with representatives of the affected agencies to address the
concerns raised in the NTIA's letter.
In its recent comments, the ARRL called the 5 MHz allocation ''an urgent
priority of the Amateur Service'' and asked that the proceeding to grant it be
expedited. Wentland's letter arrived at the FCC beyond the cut-off date for
reply comments in the proceeding, ET Docket 02-98.
Wentland said that without a more complete understanding of the interference
potential to federal operations, the NTIA believes the secondary amateur
allocation would be ''premature.'' But he said that NTIA would work with the
federal agencies, the FCC and the amateur community to determine whether ''some
future accommodation'' for amateurs at 5 MHz would be possible. That could
include limitations on power or emission types, a reduction in the size of the
proposed band, the use of discrete frequencies or geographical restrictions, he
suggested.
Imlay said that while he and the ARRL Board of Directors have been long aware
of the concerns registered by the US Coast Guard and the US Department of
Justice with the NTIA's Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC), he was
surprised by the tone of the NTIA letter. ''This is a lot worse than we were
told to expect,'' he said, noting that the FCC had cancelled a meeting to
discuss issues expressed by the NTIA several months ago and went forward with
its proposal despite the NTIA's concerns.
|
