Every four years delegates and observers from around the world meet in Geneva, Switzerland at a World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC) to set global spectrum allocations. An Advisory Committee is working on U.S. proposals for the next WRC in 2011 (WRC-11). The FCC recently released recommendations approved at the Sept. 1, 2009 meeting of the Committee and is soliciting comments on the proposals.
One of the proposals is a response to Resolution 954 from WRC-07, which requests that the ITU-R include "...sharing and compatibility issues with services already having allocations in frequency bands and tuning ranges which have potential for ENG use" in its studies, and "to propose operational measures to facilitate operation of ENG equipment consistent with global circulation of radiocommunication equipment. Attachment 1 (PDF) to FCC Public Notice DA 09-1994 lists a proposal from the Advisory committee outlines the proposal and stated that the information on worldwide ENG usage be maintained and provided, and observed that Resolution USA-1.5/1 "provides a mechanism to rationalize ENG spectrum usage by maintaining a data-base of country specific ENG bands with required technical and operational requirements for deployment."
The Notice commented that such actions would provide ENG users and operators "with the needed information to ensure that they deploy equipment that will operate within a given country and allow them to seek spectrum use approval in an expeditious manner."
It further observed that it would also give manufacturers a knowledge base of required frequency bands and deployment requirements needed to build common-use equipment for the ENG applications in all areas of the world.
The resolution went on to state that "the dynamic nature of the use of ENG, which is driven by scheduled, unscheduled and unpredictable events such as breaking news, emergencies and disasters makes it highly desirable to facilitate the rapid and less restricted deployment and operation of ENG systems from one country to another."
Another proposal covers the technical parameters for sharing of spectrum in the 21.4 to 22 GHz band between terrestrial microwave services and the broadcasting-satellite service and the associated feeder link bands.
I didn't see an explicit proposal for "white space devices", but in response to Resolution 953 (WRC-07) to study emissions from short range devices (SRDs), the Advisory Committee stated that the United States believed the regulation of short-range devices was primarily a national matter and that there would be no need for modifications to international Radio Regulations to accommodate such devices.
Comments are due Sept. 25, 2009. For additional information see FCC Public Notice DA 09-1994 (PDF) and Attachment 1 (Recommendations approved by the Advisory Committee - PDF) and Attachment 2 (PDF) – Draft Proposals formulated and approved with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
