Greetings. Some more news. Please keep this confidential. I have good and sufficient information indicating that my last memo on this subject was leaked outside the Board family. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN THIS PROCEEDING. Today I received a callback from Kathy Medley, the OET engineer who is in charge of our proceeding. To make a very long (and surprisingly candid) call short, here are a few important notes: 1. OET is not viewing the NTIA letter as a show-stopper. 2. They believe that NTIA filed it just because they want an accommodation. 3. Kathy doesn't know what will satisfy them, other than a power limitation, which is likely to be imposed in final rules in the Report and Order. We may have to have SSB restricted to one segment and CW in others (!) 4. The real problem is the ALE protocol, and amateur signals may lock out channels, giving the Feds far too few channels to use in the remainder of the band. 5. Kathy is working on a February R&O release deadline in this docket proceeding, notwithstanding this problem. 6. However, unless there is some accommodation agreed upon between ARRL and NTIA, she is going to have a problem with the 5 MHz allocation. She urged us to meet with NTIA at our earliest convenience (and steered us to Slye in particular) and "work a deal" which she believes can be done, after their meetings (which she readily 'fessed up to). 7. There are no other issues in this proceeding of any concern to her, and nothing that would delay the R&O past the February deadline. That's it. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. 73, Chris