BRAZIL DEMARCHE DELIVERY: UNITED STATES COMPROMISE

UNCLAS BRASILIA 001471 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC, EEB/CIP/MA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECPS ECIP ECON BR SUBJECT: BRAZIL DEMARCHE DELIVERY: UNITED STATES COMPROMISE PROPOSAL ON ITU-R STUDY GROUP 5 RESTRUCTURING REFTEL: STATE 113818 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In response to reftel points, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) raised concerns that consolidating working party activities could diminish focus on international mobile telecommunications work. ANATEL looks forward to discussing these issues further with USG in Geneva this week. END SUMMARY ¶2. (SBU) On November 6, 2008 Econoff delivered reftel demarche to the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL). Mr. Marcos de Souza Oliveira, ANATEL's manager of spectrum engineering, received the document regarding the department's compromise proposal of restructuring the study groups within the International Telecommunication Union- Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) Study Group (SG) 5 that will be discussed at the ITU-R meeting in Geneva, Switzerland November 10-11. ¶3. (SBU) While Oliveira applauded the U.S. compromise reversing its previous position to eliminate working party (WP) 5D within the SG 5 and instead proposing to transfer only the sub working group spectrum sharing aspect from WP 5D to WP 5A, Oliveira voiced concerns about potentially diminishing WP 5D's important work in International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT),arguing for a continued separation between WP 5D's IMT studies and WP 5A's land mobile services work. Oliveira rejected the U.S. opinion that inevitable convergences between IMT and general land mobile service technologies warranted this change, arguing instead that IMT issues, as a direct by-product of increased globalization, should continue to have its own forum within ITU-R's SG 5 and said proposals should not be solely inspired by cost cutting measures, as Oliveira suggested this proposal was. ¶4. (SBU) Oliveira expressed appreciation for continued U.S. efforts to streamline ITU-R WP structures and would welcome future U.S. proposals. He also noted that Mario Antonio Tavares, ANATEL's representative for the ITU meeting in Geneva this week, looks forward to meeting with Ambassador Gross to discuss this and other telecommunication related issues. SOBEL