European Common Allocations Table

In February last as a result of an initiative by the Irish Radio Transmitters Society, regulator ComReg raised at the CEPT Working Group on Frequency Management WGFM, the question of the inclusion of a mention of allocations to the amateur service in the region of 70 MHz in the European Common Allocations table ECA.

There had been no mention of these despite the fact that an increasing number of countries were giving operating facilities to the amateur service in that part of the spectrum.

This initiative has now yielded results as the revised ECA published by the European Radiocommunications Office ERO which is open for consultation until the 16th of August includes a new footnote EU9 which reads as follows
"In a growing number of CEPT countries, parts of the band 70.0 to 70.5 MHz is also allocated to the Amateur service on a secondary basis".

The IRTS has sent a detailed submission to the ERO urging that this footnote be retained. This footnote will assist
Societies in CEPT countries, which are reluctant to grant allocations at 70 MHz because there is no mention of it either in the ITU Radio Regulations or the European Common Allocations Table.