Can this year’s WRC be the first without acronyms?

The newly formed Campaign Against Three Word Acronyms in Spectrum Policy (CATWASP) is set to make a last minute proposal to the Conference Preparatory Meeting in Geneva this week to bar all acronyms from future discussions about spectrum at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

According to the proposal, the practice would be trialed in the run up to WRC-15 in November. A CATWASP spokesperson explained that acronyms are too confusing and obscure for many stakeholders, particularly newcomers unfamiliar with the industry’s nomenclature.

Following a formal request from the organisation, PolicyTracker has agreed to observe this new recommendation and henceforth abstain from using acronyms (and bracketed explanations of their meaning).

“In time we hope to have ridded the scourge of ambiguous acronyms from all International Telecommunication Union – Radiocommunications official documents such as the Radio Regulations, both the space Master International Frequency Register and terrestrial Master International Frequency Register, the International Frequency Information Circular, as well important portals like the Web Interface for Submission of Frequency Assignments/allotments for Terrestrial Services”, said the PolicyTracker spokesperson, breathlessly.

But a source inside the Alliance Against Radio Reform Group! warned PolicyTracker that events organised by the International Telecommunications Union could be twice as long under the new protocols. He feared this would put a strain on the resources of smaller organisations.

In response to these claims, a European policy maker said “frankly, I cannot speak for some of the sub-groups inside the Working Group for Frequency Management, or the Conference Preparatory Group but I can say there is certainly consensus within the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations/ Electronic Communications Committee Working Group on Spectrum Engineering Forum Group on Mobile Communication services on-board Aircraft Network Control Unit Unwanted Em… sorry what were we talking about again?”