I will be leaving Saturday for Geneva to attend (in chronological order) the 2015 Radiocommunication Assembly, WRC-15, and the first session of the Conference Preparatory Meeting for WRC-19. Tomorrow will be my last day in the office until Thursday, December 3. Jon Siverling will be joining me for WRC November 1-28. I plan to report toward the end of each week while in Geneva, and more frequently if events warrant. For my final pre-trip report, I'll focus on next week's Radiocommunication Assembly (RA) and update where we are on our 5 MHz effort. The RA has three main tasks (in addition to a few smaller, unlisted ones): 1. Complete any necessary and unfinished technical work from the previous ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) study cycle, 2. Establish procedures, organizational structures, and certain objectives for the conduct of ITU-R studies and development of ITU-R documentation, and 3. Elect leadership for the various Study Groups within which said studies are conducted and said documentation is developed. Compared to a WRC, and barring an issue of popular interest (like the leap second in 2012), the RA is an utter snoozefest. But it is as important as it is boring. While all of the technical work necessary for Amateur Radio to have a chance of success at WRC-15 is finished, there are two issues on which I will be focusing my attention next week: 1) A contribution from CEPT calling on ITU-R to produce a handbook on satellite coordination procedures for developers and operators of small satellites (cubesats). In the preface to the contribution, CEPT has omitted Study Group 5, which is responsible for the amateur-satellite service, from the list of groups that should contribute to the work. At my urging, the United States will call for our inclusion, and I hope we can get CEPT to agree to this early (a word with the person introducing the document early in the week should go a long way). 2) The incumbent chairman of Study Group 5, Dr. Akira Hashimoto of Japan, is term limited, and it is in our interest for the new Study Group chairman to be at least as familiar with and respectful of the amateur and amateur-satellite services as Dr. Hashimoto has been. In my view, one of the two known candidates is preferable on these grounds, and I've let our head of delegation know that. If he wins, great. If the other guy or a compromise candidate wins, then we'll need to begin to foster the relationship as soon as possible (ideally that day). WRC-15 begins November 2. Earlier, I reported that while four regional organizations are supporting us on our 5 MHz effort, the list of countries that aren't on board includes some big and influential names. Some of these countries, including Thailand, Iran, and the United States so far, have made their opposition to an allocation clear through formal proposals to the conference. While we have some offline assurances that the United States will likely reconsider its stance if discussions coalesce around a relatively small allocation (they would like no more than 25 kHz), there are no such assurances or indications of flexibility within the four corners of the proposal they have submitted to WRC. Supportive countries and regions will undoubtedly be fighting vocal opposition in the opening week of the conference, and I have no reason to expect that our own government will be silent. As United States private sector delegates, the best that Jon and I can do in such a situation is quietly suggest routes to a compromise to the United States spokesperson when we see them, and support the spokesperson in an effort to compromise if and only if he is permitted or ordered to do so. Fortunately, on most other issues affecting Amateur Radio at WRC-15, the United States position is at least somewhat accommodating of our interests. And on the 5 MHz issue, representatives of IARU and several of our sister societies will be able to present our case without the constraints of being on the United States delegation. On many issues, we are in good shape, and on 5 MHz, we are prepared for the fight. I can't promise success. I can promise that we'll leave no stone unturned, and that whatever news we have, good or bad, you'll be the first to hear. Until next week, 73 de Brennan N4QX Brennan T. Price, N4QX Chief Technology Officer American Radio Relay League PO Box 3470 Oakton VA 22124-9470 Tel +1 860 594-0247