The 2015 Radiocommunication Assembly adjourned this afternoon. It was a productive meeting on a number of fronts, and had more relevance for Amateur Radio than a typical RA. Highlights follow. * A helpful new Resolution, directing ITU-R Study Groups to prepare and disseminate educational material regarding regulatory issues pertinent to small satellites, was adopted. I will forward the text once ITU Publications puts it in final form. This begins to address several issues that we have had with small satellites, both amateur satellites and non-amateur satellites that have historically been shoehorned into amateur satellite allocations (there have been some efforts to change that domestically, especially on the federal side). * Substantial changes were made to ITU-R structure and procedures, including a complete restructuring of the rules of procedure for ITU-R Study Groups (adding substantially to the rules' clarity) and the abolition of the Special Committee for Regulatory and Procedural Matters, which was a group that is even more dreadful than it sounds. Most regulatory work is during a WRC preparatory cycle is done in the responsible Study Groups and Working Parties. SCRPM, at best, left that work alone, and at worst dismantled that work to the detriment of issue proponents. Nothing good ever came out of the Special Committee, and it added a week of expense a year if it was addressing something we needed to watch. It deserved to die, and it has died. *New group of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of ITU Study Groups were elected. Martin Fenton of the United Kingdom is the new Chairman of Study Group 5, which includes all terrestrial services (except broadcasting) and one satellite service--the amateur-satellite service. Candidly, Martin was not our preferred candidate. Canada's Dr. Jose Costa, the chairman of Working Party 5A, was also a candidate. Jose has been a friend to Amateur Radio and frankly chairs a better meeting than Martin, but regional balance considerations tipped the balance in Martin's favor. He will be imminently congratulated by the entire IARU team who is gathering here. I am enjoying my last peaceful weekend until after Thanksgiving. Meetings on 5 MHz begin Monday afternoon, and we have no time to waste. Dave Sumner's analysis of the proposals to WRC indicates that almost half of the ITU member states are in favor of some type of allocation to amateurs here. A substantially lower number, with some big names among them, are opposed. The rest--a larger chunk than those opposed--have expressed no position. Our task is to find an approach that gains enough indifferent countires and flips enough opposing countries to win. There are quiet indications that France and the United States, at least, can be flipped--not at a generous amount, but at an adequate one. To build expectations: next week will likely be busy with little movement. This is typical. Expect no less when I write circa next Friday-Sunday. Enjoy the weekend. I hope to get some time in at 4U0ITU before it becomes 4U0WRC. 73 de Brennan HB9/N4QX Brennan T. Price, N4QX Chief Technology Officer American Radio Relay League PO Box 3470 Oakton VA 22124-9470 Tel +1 860 594-0247