Aeronautical radio to be deregulated in UK?

[Self Loading Freight]

This is an odd one. There are plenty of rumours floating around the radio amateur community that Ofcom (which inherited radio spectrum management and licensing responsibilities from the now-defunct Radiocommunications Agency) is trying to divest itself of as much of this as possible - including anything to do with aeronautical radio.

Radio hams are fond of a good gossip, but it seems to be true. Ofcom has recently advertised (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about_ofcom/contract_tenders/jobs/operations/cmsass?a=87101) a job for a "Change Management Senior Associate" for the "Deregulation and Contracting Out Unit". Er, don't remember the career advisor mentioning that one.

From reading the rest of the advert, the job boils down to being in charge of pushing through an agenda - the clue's in the title. And the Unit?

"The Deregulation and Contracting Out Unit is responsible for managing contracts to deliver licences for Citizens' Band, Amateur Radio, Maritime and Aeronautical users (presently circa 160,000 licences each year) and planning for the deregulation of relevant licence classes. The team also deals with technical queries from licence-holders, provides international representation on spectrum access groups, develops new licence schemes to improve customer service, negotiates spectrum access for special events and manages the contract for broadcasting and special events licensing." Just not called the licensing and regulation unit, eh?

More: "The successful candidate will support the Unit Head in implementing deregulation in these bands as well as contributing to plans to reform the management of Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) spectrum."

Lots more on that link.

So, um, who's going to be in charge of the aeronautical spectrum, chasing down the nutters with the eBay Icom? And all the other stuff to do with frequency planning, problem resolution, and that all that good stuff? Has anyone said anything in public?

R

[If anyone thinks this has all the hallmarks of a massive disaster in the making due to thundering lack of comprehension and dogmatic determination from the very top down over some considerable time, I must admit to a certain sympathy towards that viewpoint. But it might not be what it looks like]

[Blacksheep]

Looks more like a national licencing issue - the issue of licences to operate in a given band. The allocation of frequency bands is done internationally.

It is true that the aeronautical bands have been under threat in the last few meetings of the ITC, as mobile phone operators pile on the pressure to take over some of the choice bands currently used for navigation. We do need to defend our patch at the ITC, but this Ofcom initiative doesn't seem to be part of the attack.

[ionagh]

I think in this case it will aeronautical licencing that will be contracted out but....

The overall game plan of Ofcom seems to be based on the policy of profit these days. Most engineering staff have been made redundant or moved out.

What is most disturbing is their target for spectrum sales. So no particular band is truely 'safe'. Frequency allocations may be attributed internationally by the ITU WRC but you only have to look in the Radio Regulations to see all the 'footnotes' (ie where countries do NOT follow the ITU assignments).

I expect to see spectrum auctions in the near future (especially when they turn off your terrestrial TV transmitters). However, once the spectrum is sold, it is gone forever.

Possible scenario is that they could sell the aeronautical bands to a private company who would then issue UK licences for 'their' band and charge you some annual admin fee for using the frequencies.

As for the enforcement side of the old RA activities, well those days are gone. They dont have the manpower or the personnel anymore to do even the simplest of market surveillance. That will have to be contracted out too.

If Ofcom get it wrong it will be too late to start worrying.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

God preserve us... yet another monumental government cock-up.