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KA9LCF > NEWS 28.09.12 19:04l 97 Lines 4070 Bytes #999 (0) @ ALLIN
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RADIO POLITICS: HOUSE MAJORITY REPORTEDLY WANTS SPECTRUM
CLEARING RATHER THAN SHARING
According to news reports, the majority control in the
United States House of Representatives favors clearing
federal spectrum for commercial use instead of seeking
sharing arrangements. This, according to the majority staff
memo circulated for a House of Representatives hearing prior
to a meeting held recently in Washington D.C.. And there is
a chance that any decisions could impact on future access to
the highest Ultra High Frequency and Super High Frequency
bands used by ham radio. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don
Carlson, KQ6FM, takes a look at what's transpiring in the
national capital:
--
On September 13th, House members of the Communications and
Technology subcommittee were to discuss the subject of
Creating Opportunities through Improved Government Spectrum
Efficiency. But in rejecting a report from the President's
Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the memo said
that sharing spectrum in the way it envisions is less useful
than clearing spectrum and too untested to be the focus of
the subcommittee's spectrum strategy.
The memo went on to say that such sharing should be reserved
for cases in which federal clearing is impossible. However
the President's Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology and the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration both endorse public-private
spectrum sharing. They also claim that clearing the
spectrum would cost more than $18 billion and 10 years to
clear the targeted airwaves.
But the staff memo claims that this figure was inflated and
unconfirmed by independent analysis. Instead it calls the
figure merely aggregated the estimates of the federal
agencies currently using the spectrum. The memo claims that
the NTIA and the President's Council of Advisors on Science
and Technology never fully investigated the agencies'
relocation estimates. Nor has it determined whether the
agencies need all the spectrum they have, or whether they
could get by with less if they had more efficient equipment
or relied more on commercial services.
At this moment its not known exactly what spectrum would be
impacted if a non-sharing plan is eventually passed. That
said, it could impact negatively on amateur radio if the
reallocated spectrum was that shared between Part 97 users
and government agencies as quite a bit of the U-H-F and
higher bands are today. And while am eventual compromise
between the two factions is most likely, this is yet another
matter that the nations ham radio community will have to
watch closely in the days, weeks and months ahead.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Carlson, KQ6FM, in
Reno.
--
For its part, the President's Council's proposed a sharing
arrangement is similar to unlicensed devices in the
broadcast bands, which use a dynamic database to check for
open frequencies. However the majority House staff appears
to have rejected that approach. (Adapted from TV
Technology)
BT
RADIO POLITICS: SARL SAYS IT SUPPORTS RSGB STAND ON BPL/PLT
Over on the other side of the world, the South African Radio
League says that it supports the Radio Society of Great
Britain's concerns over Access Broadband over Powerline also
known as Powerline Technology. These are the internet
access ports carried on unshielded in-home and powerline to
home wiring.
As reported last week, the RSGB had written an official
letter to the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1
Electromagnetic Compatibility Working Group. In it the U-K
national ham radio society asked that the Working Group
reconsider its policy on the draft European Broadband over
Power Line standard. One that the RSGB claims to threaten a
38dB increase in RF pollution over much of the short wave
radio spectrum.
Now, in its own public statement, the South African Radio
League days that it fully supports the RSGB's views. It
says that any relaxation in emission levels can have far
reaching negative effects which ultimately may impact on
South Africa as well. (SARL)
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