When #FakeNews hits #hamradio @ARRL #ARRL

You've seen the note!  THEY are taking away your Two-Meter band.

This mysterious THEY is ONE country that is proposing to change two meters in France to aeronautical service.

One poster asked where the Federal Communications Commission and the American Radio Relay League is in the matter.

First, France is in International Amateur Radio Union Region 1.  When last checked, the USA is in Region 2.  The forty meter band alone would show there are different band plans for the three IARU regions.  The FCC has no jurisdiction anywhere but the USA.

Second, the ARRL represents 100% of amateur radio, including the 80% of those operators who aren't League members, before the IARU.  The proposal has yet to be discussed with all member nations.  One of the pesky details in the proposal, however, is the two-meter satellites on FM, SSB, and APRS, including the International Space Station.  AMSAT, to be sure, will likely issue a comment or two.

The best take on this issue was found in this tweet:

[Moon-Net] Latest News On the Current 2 m Band Allocation Discussion https://buff.ly/2XjwoEu #hamradio #arrl @IARU_R1 @amsat

Thanks to Bernd, DF2ZC, for the information from the German Amateur Radio Club, which on their front page, addressed the issue.  

He writes quite accurately ... 

Latest News On the Current 2 m Band Allocation Discussion 


As most of you probably are aware, for example from the email by John,
G4SWX, dated June 6th the French administration at short notice had handed
in a modified a proposal to WRC-19 preparatory groups at CEPT that WRC-19
should decide on feasibility studies for additional
Aeronautical-Mobile-Services(AMS) allocations in the range from 144 MHz to
22.2 GHz. 

Since I have some insight in this matter I would like to give you a short
information update on the situation.

 

If this proposal in its current version is endorsed at the next meeting of
the CEPT Conference Preparatory Group in August it is highly likely that it
will appear on the agendas of WRC-19 and WRC-23 where a final decision will
be made. At least 10 of the 48 CEPT countries have to be in favour of this
proposal while not more than 6 must be against this.

During the recent Meeting of the CEPT Project Team A in Prague this proposal
by France was being discussed for the first time. Only the German delegation
made it clear that they are against this proposal including 144-146 MHz.

The main reason for that little opposition might be that the 2 m band was
included in the revised version of that French proposal only few days before
the deadline for the Prague meeting. Consequently most other European
countries had no time for internal discussions let alone formulating their
position.

IARU, being supported by regulatory experts of their member associations
(RSGB, DARC, VERON etc) is intensively working on executing their influence
within the current process and trying to keep the 2 m band as it is now. By
the way, the cost of this activities is covered by the funds resulting from
the contributions of the IARU member societies. So those who left their
county's amateur radio society should perhaps reconsider their decision.
Without the commitment and the funds the amateur radio community would have
little influence in that process, let alone could be present at the relevant
meetings.

Most importantly, amateur radio should speak with a single voice only. So I
would like to ask everybody to refrain from using maybe good personal
contacts to your government or the EU. This would weaken our position and
take away power and vigour from the systematic approach by IARU and country
amateur radio societies. This particularly applies for online petitions in
the WWW.which by the way do not even base on a correct facts background. 

 

73 Bernd DF2ZC, designated Frequency Manager DARC

The Change.org petition is problematic in that it will only show the low numbers of respondents to everyone.  Amateur radio is a 2% population in the USA.  It's less in other places.  If you really want to make a difference, let your ARRL officials know.  Your Section Manager would be a good first step.

As Bernd mentions, above, it's problematic also because it's #FAKENEWS,  It's a STUDY; not a rule.

PLEASE be aware of your facts before starting petitions, spouting out on YouTube, emailing and blogging.  

One country does not get to dictate to the world, regardless of what the USA, USSR, and CHINA think.  Please let due process work.  Your ARRL is on top of this.  THAT is not FAKEnews.