WRC-19 Day-11+12: Week-3 and Next Steps
Week-3 should be where even the harder items are heading towards solutions. Conveniently, a CEPT status table offers a great overview, but shows that many items are running behind schedule, or being escalated to higher levels as their lower-level drafting groups close.
50 MHz: One of the few clearer signs of progress has been on AI-1.1 for 50 MHz. The basic shape of the compromise solution has remained stable despite ongoing variations to footnotes. It cleared Working Group level (WG4C) on Monday and a key step of Committee 4 (COM4) on Tuesday, though with a few more footnote amendments. Its completion in the lower levels is a tribute to numerous sessions skillfully chaired by Dales Hughes VK1DSH; and a collaborative spirit by a widely varying set of parties. Regarding ‘Next Steps’, it is now being readied by the central editorial committee, for the first of two final(?) plenary sessions.
The basic solution is built around the CEPT position for an entry in the main ITU Region-1 frequency table, along with footnotes for variations in status and frequency for numerous named countries. Looking ahead, if it is approved, it will represent substantial progress after years of hard work. Fuller detail will be released in due course.
Dave Sumner K1ZZ with Dave Court EI3IO at the end of Tuesday’s COM4 meeting
Other WRC-19 Items: On other items there is increasing concern regarding slow progress or a lack of consensus for other items; including AI-1.7 on short duration small satellites, as well as AI-1.16 on 5 GHz Wi-Fi expansion.
WRC-23/27 Future Agenda Items: Hard work and late nights in working groups has seen the long list of future agenda items refined, but far from polished. The impending and potentially controversial down-selection process will be undertaken by Committee-6 (COM6).
Category: Front Page News, GB2RS, WRC-19
