The ITU Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) for the WRC-03 brought to Geneva for the last two weeks of November 1,027 participants to Geneva representing administrations, telecommunications companies and organizations throughout the world. The objective of the CPM was to complete work on an extensive technical report of more than 700 pages, called the CPM Report, outlining methods of addressing the more than three dozen items that are on the WRC-03 agenda. Among the agenda items of significance to radio amateurs are 1.23, possible realignment of the 7-MHz amateur and broadcasting allocations, and 1.7, possible revision of the specific rules for the amateur and amateur-satellite services including how call signs are formed. Relative to many other WRC-03 issues, Agenda item 1.7 is not very controversial. The 7-MHz realignment issue, on the other hand, is one of the most difficult issues facing WRC-03. There are three major interests: amateurs, shortwave broadcasters, and users (principally military) of the fixed and mobile services. Amateurs seek a return to the 300-kHz allocation that existed worldwide prior to World War II but that now exists only in the Americas. Achieving this would require the fixed and mobile services to make room for broadcasters and the broadcasters to change their operating frequencies. The draft CPM Report prepared over a period of more than a year identified three methods of realigning the 7-MHz amateur and broadcasting bands. The CPM itself added two more, plus a "no change" option that would simply preserve the status quo. The five options for change all represent improvements in the amateur band, although two fall short of fulfilling the 300-kHz worldwide requirement. All six options maintain the existing 300-kHz exclusive amateur allocation in Region 2. Method A would shift the Region 1 and 3 broadcasters up by 200 kHz to 7300-7550 kHz, in two stages, and would provide the same band for broadcasting in Region 2. Method B is similar but would have amateurs in Regions 1 and 3 sharing the upper 100 kHz of their newly expanded band with fixed and mobile. Method C is less desirable as it would only provide 200 kHz for amateurs in Regions 1 and 3 and would perpetuate the undesirable situation at 7200-7300 kHz where amateurs in Region 2 must contend with broadcasting interference from Regions 1 and 3. Method D, proposed by Canada at the CPM, would provide 300 kHz worldwide for amateurs by shifting broadcasters in Regions 1 and 3 up by 200 kHz but would not expand the Region 2 broadcasting allocation. This is an effort to minimize the impact of the realignment on the fixed and mobile services in Region 2. Method E, proposed by the Republic of Korea at the CPM, would provide amateurs in Regions 1 and 3 with an additional 100 kHz shared with fixed and mobile (7100-7200 kHz). Like Method C, the existing unsatisfactory arrangement at 7200-7300 kHz would continue. Method F, proposed by Australia at the CPM, would simply maintain the status quo. Proponents of Method F are concerned about the impact of any realignment on military and other national security communications capabilities. In the next three months the regional telecommunications organizations and groups (CEPT, CITEL, and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, the African Telecommunications Union, and Iran and the Arab States) as well as individual administrations will be developing their proposals for WRC-03. There is no guarantee that these proposals will be limited to the six Methods described in the CPM Report. Radio amateurs were well represented at the CPM. A three-member IARU team was headed by President Larry Price, W4RA, and included Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM, and David Sumner, K1ZZ. Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, of the ARRL staff was a member of the US delegation and was named chairman of the ad hoc group that dealt with the substance of the 7-MHz text. Several other amateurs were on their national delegations, some of them specifically to represent amateur radio and others in professional capacities. In fact the chairman of the CPM, Eberhard George of the German administration, is DL7IH. On Thursday evening of the first week the IARU hosted a reception for approximately 150 of CPM attendees on the top floor of the ITU Tower. This event was the first time that a new series of attractive posters describing the benefits of amateur radio was shown. A commemorative lapel pin created by the IARU for the CPM was in great demand. On Tuesday evening of the second week the International Amateur Radio Club, 4U1ITU, held its annual dinner with 34 members and guests in attendance. The event provided an opportunity to thank departing ITU Radiocommunication Bureau Director Bob Jones, VE3CTM/VE7RWJ, for his support of the club during his two terms and eight years in office. The IARC and the IARU each presented a gift to Bob, who was not eligible for a third term and is retiring to British Columbia. Attached is the text of the two portions of Chapter 5 of the CPM Report that are of particular interst to us. Dave Sumner, K1ZZ <<Section 5.2 Agenda Item 1.7.doc>> <<Section 5.6 Agenda Item 1.23.doc>>