INTER-AMERICAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

TOPICS:

• Permanent Advisory Committee I: Public Telecommunications Services
• Permanent Advisory Committee II: Radiobroadcasting
• Comité Consultivo Permanente III: Radiocomunicaciones

Established by the General Assembly in 1993, CITEL has technical autonomy for the performance of its functions, within the limits prescribed by the OAS Charter, its statute and the mandates of the General Assembly. Its objectives include facilitating and promoting the continuous development of telecommunications in the hemisphere. It serves as the Organization's principal advisory body on matters related to telecommunications. The Commission represents all the member States. It has a Permanent Executive Committee consisting of eleven members, and three Permanent Advisory Committees whose members are all member States of the Organization. The Permanent Advisory Committees also have associate members that represent various private telecommunications agencies or companies. The Chairman of the Permanent Executive Committee is Dr. Juan de la Cruz Silveira Zavala (Uruguay) and its Vice Chairman is Ing. Adolfo Loza Arguello (Ecuador).

Taking into account the priorities established by the First Regular Assembly of CITEL (Montevideo, Uruguay, February 1994), the Commission developed the following activities:

Permanent Advisory Committee I: Public Telecommunications Services

At its first regular meeting, held in Ottawa, Canada, in August, this Committee studied and reached decisions on the following: the development of human resources; basic and universal telecommunications services; the Committee's work program and its working groups for the 1994-1998 period; principles on the coordination and harmonization of standards for the inter-American telecommunications system; matters to be discussed at subsequent meetings. At the same time, Ottawa was also the venue for seminars on the following subjects: personal communications system and signaling system seven.

Permanent Advisory Committee II: Radiobroadcasting

At its first regular meeting in Ottawa, Canada, this Committee studied and adopted decisions on the following: preparation and coordination of inter-American positions in world meetings on telecommunications; planning of a seminar to encourage execution of the Inter-American Plan for Radiobroadcasting in hectometric waves; high definition television; use of the radioelectric spectrum. There was also a seminar on the new digital sound broadcasting technology.

Permanent Advisory Committee III: Radio communications

At its first regular meeting, held in Ottawa, Canada, in August, this Committee studied and made decisions on the following: the Committee's work program and modi operandi for the 1994-1998 period; promotion of associate members; creation of a database on the use of the radio electronic spectrum; low-orbit and geostationary satellites; very small aperture terminals; cellular systems; implementation of the world maritime distress and safety systems; ham radio operator services, simplification of the Radio Communications Regulations of the International Telecommunications Union. There was also a seminar on low-orbit satellites below 1 gigahertz.

That same month Ottawa was also the site of the following: the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group for Development of Telecommunications and the second meeting of the Provisional Group to Prepare for the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the International Telecommunications Union (Kyoto, Japan, 1994).

In November, in Washington, D.C., the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Legal Matters was held. The group studied and took decisions on the following: coordination of Blue Book administrative procedures (telecommunications policies for the Americas) with international and national bar associations; regulatory considerations in satellite-operated mobile service; model regulations for telecommunications, and the Group's plans and activities for the future.

The Chairman of the Permanent Executive Committee of CITEL and the U.S. Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Communications and Information Policy of the United States Department of State, Ambassador Vonya McCann, extended invitations to a seminar and round table on the objectives and functions of CITEL in the OAS, held at Organization headquarters on December 8. Participating were the permanent representatives to the Organization and CITEL officials. At the opening ceremonies the speakers were the Secretary General of the OAS, the Permanent Representative of the United States, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Permanent Executive Committee of CITEL and Ambassador McCann.

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