Summary

  • RCC Member States propose a high-level expert group to examine global non-geostationary satellite coordination, national access rules and the pace of ITU radiocommunication conferences.
  • The same draft asks for a hard look at the Radiocommunication Bureau’s staffing, structure, software and hardware, with recommendations due to WRC-27.

A constellation can change while a conference is still booking its meeting rooms. RCC Member States have put that awkward difference in speed before the ITU’s November Plenipotentiary Conference.

Their addendum 35 to contribution 94, posted on 23 October, proposes a new resolution. Its starting judgment is the sponsors’ own: international rules for satellite spectrum and orbital resources are changing too slowly for the industry they govern. Their answer begins with an expert group rather than a fresh frequency assignment.

The proposed table would seat Member States from every ITU region, associations speaking collectively for satellite and terrestrial operators, and independent regulatory experts. It would prioritize multilateral coordination when global non-geostationary systems occupy overlapping bands and territories. It would also examine how national market-access rules might be brought closer together while national requirements remain in view.

Then comes the institutional inspection. The group would study the preparation timetable for World Radiocommunication Conferences and the possible need for extraordinary specialized conferences. It would compare the Radiocommunication Bureau’s organization, staff, software and hardware with the complexity of reviewing filings for multi-satellite systems. The Bureau’s director would support the group and bring forward proposals for improving its work. A report would go to WRC-27.

That last assignment has a concrete home. The ITU’s Space Services Department already examines and publishes satellite notices, establishes coordination requirements and records assignments. The draft asks whether that machinery has kept pace with the scale of the task. The November conference will decide whether to commission the review; a posted proposal alone cannot move the conference calendar.

Sources