[11-06-07 – Satellite News]   As the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) enters its third week in Geneva, the campaign for No Change in C-band has continued to gain momentum. 
    In contrast to the usual practice — where fissures appear in regional positions — the C-band interest have sustained an unusual level of solidarity. Countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa this week introduced documents in support of the existing use of C-band. In some cases, the documents used language that is uncharacteristic for ITU submissions, such as that from the Marshall Islands which stated that for their country “preservation of the C-band for delivery of satellite services is literally a matter of life and death.” 
     The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has added its weight to the debate in support of no change by submitting an information document to WRC which stresses the importance of the lower portion of C-band for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. By bringing this information to the attention of the delegates at the WRC, IMO believes that it is important that all delegates are aware of the possible consequences of their actions.  
     Increasingly, those remaining supporters for an identification of IMT, primarily the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), find themselves isolated, and the pressure is beginning to show.  Cracks are starting to appear among the CEPT countries.  Netherlands and Ireland have submitted a proposal to move away from trying to force a global identification for IMT and instead allow each country to choose whether or not to identify for IMT within its own borders.