Netherlands IARU Member-Society Reports “Disappointing Response” on 144

The Netherlands International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-society VERON reports a “disappointing response” from national regulator Agentschap Telecom to a call from Dutch radio amateurs that 144 – 146 MHz be protected. A recent proposal put forward by France at a CEPT pre-World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 meeting targeted a segment of 2 meters, among other VHF spectrum, as a possible Aeronautical Mobile Service allocation, sharing it with Amateur Radio.

According to VERON, an initial Agentschap Telecom response indicated that the French proposal “fits in with Dutch frequency policy” that encourages joint and shared use of spectrum. VERON said Agentschap Telecom has indicated that it’s necessary to take a good look at actual use of the segment and to have insight into compatibility. On July 20, radio amateurs in the Netherlands conducted a 2-meter “propagation experiment” aimed, at least in part, on demonstrating that hams use and need the band.

“VERON shares the opinion that this proposal has no viability,” the organization asserts, pointing to remarks from IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, that the proposal to share 144 – 146 MHz would require 4 years of studies that likely would reach the same conclusion.

Source:ARRL