In recent years commercial entities have expressed interested in the 33cm band. They seek to have it reallocated and to monetize it. While 33cm does not enjoy the level of interest and activity that 2m and 70cm do a quick scan of RepeaterBook will show that there are many 33cm repeaters operating in the US and Canada. Here in Alberta there are five repeaters operating in the 33cm band.
The ARRL has recently renewed their efforts in defending the 33cm band as detailed in this article:
ARRL Renews Defense of the 902-928 MHz Amateur Radio Band
Commercial pressure on spectrum allocated to the Amateur Radio Service has existed for some years now and will only ever increase. Hams in France were successful in fighting off parties interested in reallocating their 2m VHF band for aviation use several years ago.
As individual amateur radio operators what can we each do to defend our spectrum?
- Make use of the spectrum that is allocated to us (use it or lose it!)
- Support the organizations that are mounting defenses of our spectrum on our behalf
- Encourage new hams into the hobby
In Canada the organization that defends spectrum allocated to the Amateur Radio Service is RAC (Radio Amateurs of Canada). They have a Defense of Amateur Fund which you can read about here:
RAC Defense of Amateur Radio Fund
Defending our amateur radio spectrum is work. It takes time, effort, money and legal resources. And the need for this defense will only ever increase.