Report - HF Band Planning Committee ARRL Board of Directors January 2015

Looks like the ARRL is wanting to reshape the lower end of 80 

What do you think?

Is this to push eSSB out of the lower end of the band?

 As reported in July, the committee concluded that the FCC’s action in 2006 to reduce the 80 meter RTTY/data subband from 250 kHz to 100 kHz and to limit access to 3600-3700 kHz only to Amateur Extra Class licensees has created significant and unnecessary difficulties for CW, RTTY and data operators, and has left 3600-3700 kHz underutilized. Unless and until the FCC Rules are modified, changes in the band plan for 3500-3600 kHz will not improve the situation. Accordingly, the committee recommends that the FCC be petitioned to move the boundary between the 80 meter RTTY/data band and the 75 meter phone/image band from 3600 to 3650 kHz, with the 3600-3650 kHz segment restored to General and Advanced licensees. The Board may also wish to consider proposing the following related FCC rules changes: • Shift the band segment for automatically controlled digital (data) stations (ACDS) from 3585-3600 kHz to 3600-3615 kHz. (While it was 3620-3635 kHz before 2006, 3600- 3615 kHz would be consistent with the IARU Region 1 and Region 2 band plans.) • Extend the current Novice/Technician CW segment from 3525-3600 to 3525-3650 kHz. (While Novice/Tech CW activity is very limited, this change would make 80 meters consistent with 40 and 15 meters where Novices and Techs can operate CW throughout the General/Advanced portions of the RTTY/data subbands.) • Add 80 meter RTTY/data privileges for Novices and Technicians. If the FCC can be persuaded to make the change from 3600 to 3650 kHz it would be desirable to shift the boundary between CW and RTTY/data in the ARRL band plan from 3570 to 3580 kHz in order to be consistent with the Region 1 and Region 2 band plans. Then we could address ongoing complaints about interference to PSK31 from W1AW CW transmissions on 3581.5 kHz by shifting the W1AW frequency below 3580 kHz.

Complete ARRL PDF here

It says members were polled, did they poll you?