This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union in Paris, France. Radio 100 years ago was relatively new and not widely understood by the general public. What a difference one hundred years makes. A century later, radio is embedded in virtually everyone’s life creating an ever increasing demand on a finite spectrum. Gone are the days where there were enough frequencies for all. Governments came to view spectrum by regulating of its use as both a vehicle for delivery of public services – safety and security, education, information – and as a source of revenue through licensing fees. Radio Amateurs may be seen as occupying limited and valuable spectrum that could otherwise be used a source of revenue.
IARU was formed 100 years ago to address the need to demonstrate to the International Telecommunications Union and individual governments the value of Amateur Radio weighing it with the ever increasing pressure to expand services for commercial and governmental use. IARU has been highly successful. Amateurs today have more spectrum access than ever before because IARU time and time again has successfully made the case for why individual citizens’ experimentation and direct personal communications have value.
This success is not permanent and cannot be taken for granted. Put bluntly, a handful of IARU volunteers on a shoestring budget are facing large corporations and governments with deep pockets and hundreds of lawyers. It is not a level playing field. That is why, after 100 years, a fundamental restructuring of IARU is necessary if Amateur Radio is to continue for the next 100 years. I urge all Member Societies and other interested parties to read the Consultation document on the proposed restructuring of IARU to ensure that Amateur Radio has the best possible voice in the ongoing contest for spectrum access. It is a proposal which needs your thoughts and ideas to make a reality.
Let us celebrate the success of the centenary of IARU and all that it has been able to do to grow and protect Amateur Radio. It’s something to be proud of! At the same time, let us also recognize how much the world has changed and that IARU must also change if we are to continue to enjoy this fascinating and exciting thing we all share: Amateur Radio.
73, George Gorsline VE3YV / K8HI
President, IARU Region
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