The National Academies will convene a committee to prepare a short report which will articulate the views of the U.S. science community on specific agenda items at issue at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) with potential impact on scientific observations, particularly future radio astronomy and Earth remote sensing observations. The committee will:
• Identify the agenda items at issue at the 2012 WRC that are potentially relevant to the scientific use of the radio and microwave spectrum, namely for, but not limited to, radio astronomy and Earth remote sensing;
• Assess each of the identified agenda items for their potential impact—positive, negative, or none—on radio frequency science applications;
• Describe the scientific justification for protecting radio astronomy and Earth remote sensing observations in agenda items with potential impact, where appropriate;
• Solicit and consider input from the broad science community relevant to the committee’s task; and
• Establish a position, where needed and within the scope of the identified agenda items, to ensure that radio astronomy and Earth remote sensing and other related radio frequency science applications will continue to be able to make needed observations.
In preparing its report, the committee will take into account the anticipated future spectrum requirements of the scientific communities, and will ensure that the needs of multiple communities are appropriately considered. The unedited, prepublication version of the report should be publicly released no later than July 1, 2010.
