Frankly I don't care which among ARRL officials passed
along a specific bandwidth number at the IARU
conference in Brazil. It should not have been uttered
without clearing it with U.S. licensees expecting to
support the Region 2 plan.
The concept of using specific numbers is wrong when
applied to the Amateur Service, and should now be
challenged and revised OUT of both the Region 1 and
Region 2 plans as inappropriate.
Ramón, XE1KK, an IARU rep from Mexico, was so kind as
to return my call as I struggled to find anyone who
was at the table in Brazil. The U.S. delegates were
not returning phone calls, and I knew action need to
be taken quickly, so I stepped around League officials
and connected with several non-U.S. delegates.
Ramón expressed dismay when I recounted a brief
history of failed ARRL attempts domestically to
achieve what they apparently had won at the IARU. A
failed bandwidth Petition withdrawn because of
opposition expressed to the FCC; an FCC Order against
the League's request to impose the force of law to
voluntary band plans, and the failure of a Petition to
the FCC to impose bandwidth limitations.
So when I asked him where the bandwidth specifications
came from in the IARU Region 2 plan, he said (rough
quote, notes not in front of me) "That was Paul
Rinaldo. He was concerned about people running wider
than that."
Another non-U.S. delegate confirmed the information
that Ramón had volunteered, and the context in which
it was conveyed.
The context, which is hard to misconstrue twice, is
that Rinaldo presented the number without any
accompanying documentation as a basis it would be
appropriate in the plan being discussed in Brazil.
And, just like other modifications and adaptations
that make the Region 2 plan different than the earlier
plan in Region 1, there was and should have been
discussion by the club representing ALL U.S. licensees
(per the IARU charter), that there is a strong,
vibrant community of people in Region 2 who enjoy AM,
and whose operations should be placed in the main
table recognizing other activities and modes.
To that end, the League failed its constituents in
Brazil, and by not immediately amending that error,
continues to be of disservice.
More broadly, the ARRL, as the most influential policy
force among IARU clubs, has failed to push back on
needless specifications that will confuse rather than
complement a voluntary band plan we all wish to
support.
It is my contention that the ARRL is actually behind
the bandwidth push for the reasons we've already
discussed in great detail.
Paul/VJB
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