I wonder if Carl will be in attendance?
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WRC-07 Preparations Dominate International Amateur Radio Union Calendar
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 11, 2007 -- Preparations for World
Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) dominate this year's
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) calendar. The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) gathering will get under way in Geneva on
October 22 and continue through November 16. Some items on the WRC-07
agenda have the potential to directly or indirectly impact Amateur
Radio.

"Agenda items of particular interest to the Amateur Services involve
allocations in the 4-10 MHz range, a possible secondary allocation to
the amateur service at 136 kHz, the modification of footnotes to the
Table of Frequency Allocations, and the selection of agenda items for
future WRCs, the next of which is tentatively slated for 2011," reports
IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, in the latest edition of the IARU
E-Letter.

WRC-07 agenda item 1.13 will review allocations to all services between
4 and 10 MHz, excluding allocations from 7000 to 7200 kHz -- settled to
the advantage of Amateur Radio during WRC-03. Starting in March 2009,
radio amateurs will enjoy a worldwide 200 kHz segment on 40 meters.
WRC-07 delegates may revisit the 7200-7300 kHz segment with an eye
toward attaining the IARU goal of a 300-kHz worldwide ham radio
allocation, although no administration is known to be planning such a
proposal.

WRC-07 agenda item 1.15 will consider establishing a secondary Amateur
Radio Service allocation in the band 135.7 to 137.8 kHz. Several
countries already have allocated that LF spectrum to Amateur Radio,
although the FCC several years ago turned away an ARRL proposal to
create a sliver band there for ham radio.

The next major WRC-07-related event is the Conference Preparatory
Meeting (CPM) in Geneva February 19 through March 2.

"The CPM will finalize the technical report that will guide the WRC
delegates' work," Sumner says. He explains that drafting of the CPM
Report has occupied several ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R)
working parties for the past three years. The report provides
background information on each WRC-07 agenda item, various methods of
addressing the agenda items and the advantages and disadvantages of
each. "The inclusion or exclusion of single words in the draft CPM
Report has been the topic of spirited debate, which no doubt will
continue at the CPM."

Representing the IARU at the CPM will be IARU President Larry Price,
W4RA, and Technical Representative Ken Pulfer, VE3PU. Other Amateur
Radio representatives will be part of national delegations.

Regional and national preparatory meetings leading up to WRC-07
continue. The IARU's three regional organizations are responsible for
participating in the work of the regional telecommunications
organizations, including but not limited to CEPT (Europe), ATU
(Africa), CITEL (the Americas), and APT (Asia-Pacific). Domestic
preparations are the responsibility of the IARU member-societies in the
respective countries.

The triennial conference of IARU Region 2 is another major 2007 IARU
event. It takes place September 9-14 in Brasilia, Brazil. The 16th
General Assembly of IARU Region 2 will bring together representatives
of IARU member-societies from throughout the Americas to discuss
matters of mutual interest and to elect officers for the next three
years.