Let me bring you up to date on recent 7-MHz WRC-03 developments. I am in Geneva representing IARU but will be leaving for home in a few minutes. Also here representing the IARU are Larry Price, W4RA, and Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM. Here for the US (and serving as chairman of the working group for amateur issues) is Paul Rinaldo, W4RI. You may recall from my December 6, 2001 report, ARRL-ODV:6498, that ITU-R Working Party 8A is responsible for developing draft Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) text on WRC-03 Agenda item 1.23, the 7-MHz amateur/broadcasting harmonization issue. The CPM, which meets November 18-29, 2002, in Geneva, will prepare a 500+ page report to provide the technical basis for WRC-03 decisions. The deadline for draft CPM text is May 31, 2002. At its meeting last October, WP 8A prepared draft CPM text that has been under review by administrations and ITU-R Sector Members (including the IARU) since then. That earlier draft text was attached to my earlier report. It offered two different methods of addressing the agenda item and provided a place holder for an "option 3" to be added later. At the meeting that is concluding today, a revised draft was approved and is attached. I served as chairman of the drafting group on both occasions. The new draft contains three options as follows: 1. Method 1 from the October 2001 draft has been retained, but revised to provide for two-stage implementation to overcome broadcasters' objections. It still calls for 7000-7300 kHz to be amateur worldwide with broadcasting worldwide at 7300-7550 kHz, but implementation would be done in two steps to mitigate the impact of the relocation on broadcasters and fixed service users. The revision was proposed in separate documents by the IARU and the United Kingdom and is based on a UK proposal to the meeting of Working Party 6E (broadcasting) which I attended in March. 2. The original "Method 2" called for the amateur band to be shifted down by 100 kHz to 6900-7200 kHz worldwide with 6900-7000 kHz to be shared with the incumbent occupants, fixed and mobile, and broadcasting at 7200-7450 kHz. However, since last October it has become clear that there is strong opposition to adjustments below 7000 kHz because a number of administrations say they have sensitive operations in the 6765-7000 kHz band. So, the original "Method 2" has been abandoned and a new one, developed by several CEPT countries, has been put in its place. The new "Method 2" has a two-stage implementation similar to Method 1 but calls for a worldwide amateur allocation of 7000-7200 kHz, sharing of 7200-7300 kHz in Regions 1 and 3 between amateur, fixed, and mobile, and continuation of the exclusive amateur allocation of 7200-7300 kHz in Region 2. The broadcasting band would be 7300-7550 kHz. So the principal difference between the first two methods is that fixed and mobile operations in Regions 1 and 3 gain some additional compensation for the loss of spectrum above 7350 kHz. It is possible that this approach will become a European Common Proposal to WRC-03 if it attracts the support of enough European administrations. (I should emphasize that recent reports by Fred Maia are wrong; Fred based his reports on a very early CEPT draft that had already been abandoned by the time his reports made it into print.) 3. A new "Method 3" offered by France calls for a worldwide amateur band at 7000-7200 kHz, no change at 7200-7300 kHz (perpetuating the broadcasting allocation in Regions 1 and 3 and the amateur allocation in Region 2), and a worldwide broadcasting allocation of 7300-7450 kHz. Of course, this is much less satisfactory because it only reduces by half, but does not eliminate, the amateur/broadcasting incompatibility. While these are the only three methods discussed in the WP 8A draft (other than "no change" which is always an unstated option) there are other concepts floating around. Here are two that particularly worry us: 1. Canada proposed a method whereby 7000-7200 kHz would be worldwide amateur, there would be no change at 7200-7300 kHz, and the worldwide broadcasting allocation would be 7300-7400 kHz. This failed to meet the basic criteria we originally set out because it represented a reduction in broadcasting spectrum in Regions 1 and 3. For that reason it was not included in the draft CPM text. However, this does not mean that Canada will abandon the idea and it may be attractive to other administrations that place a higher value on their fixed/mobile (principally military) than on their amateur and broadcasting operations. 2. A variation on the new "Method 2" would add fixed and mobile as sharing partners for amateurs in Region 2 in the band 7200-7300 kHz. We will have to watch this closely and try to prevent it from gaining support. I have written this rather quickly before heading to the airport and may have left some questions unanswered. If so, please let me know. I will be in transit for the remainder of the day but expect to be in the office tomorrow prior to leaving for Dayton on Thursday. 73, Dave Sumner, HB9/K1ZZ