Evaluation of Industry Canada's Involvement in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

The specific functions of the ITU are as follows: i) To effect through treaty level regulatory instruments, the allocation of bands of the radio- frequency spectrum, the allotment of radio frequencies and the registration of radio- frequency assignments. [...] The main outputs of the various study groups are the establishment of technical standards or guidelines (referred to as Recommendations by the ITU) and the determination of country positions and contributions, depending on the nature of the study group. [...] The technical basis for the work of the WRCs and thus the ITU Radio Regulations, are the results of the ITU-R studies and recommendations. [...] This sector carries out its work through the WRC, the Radio Regulations Board, the Radiocommunication Assemblies (defines the next period of study for the ITU-R), the Radiocommunication Advisory Group, the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR, the executive arm of the ITU-R), the study groups,. [...] Priority is accorded to the expansion and modernization of networks, the mobilization of resources and regulatory reform needed to boost telecommunication penetration and access in the world's poorer countries.6 The WTDC feeds into the ITU Council7 and the Plenipotentiary Conference of the ITU.