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The Radio Advisory Board of Canada provides broadly based, unbiased and technically expert advice to the Government of Canada and to the industry on all matters regarding the management and use of the radio frequency spectrum in Canada.
The Latest News
REC-LAB, Issue 8, December 2023 – Procedure for the Recognition of Testing Laboratories to Test/Assess to Canadian requirements; and Testing laboratory technical assessment checklist (Issue 2)
The Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is seeking comments on the following consultations:
1) REC-LAB, issue 8, “Procedure for the Recognition of Testing Laboratories to Test/Assess to Canadian requirements” specifies the criteria and procedure for the recognition by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) of testing laboratories, either Canadian or foreign, to test/assess to Canadian requirements for telecommunications terminal equipment, radio apparatus and broadcasting equipment standards.
2) Testing laboratory technical assessment checklist (Issue 2) specifies items to be evaluated during the assessment of test laboratories by a recognized accreditation body.
REC-CB, Issue 2, December 2023 – Recognition Procedure and Requirements for Certification Bodies
The Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is seeking comments on the following consultation: REC-CB, issue 2, “Recognition Procedure and Requirements for Certification Bodies” specifies the recognition criteria and procedures used by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) in the recognition of Canadian and foreign entities as certification bodies (CBs), under the terms of Mutual Recognition Agreements/Arrangements (MRAs) or any other equivalent agreement or arrangement, to certify products to Canadian regulatory requirements.
ISED Radio Standards Specification, RSS-287, issue 3, November 2023 – Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT), Personal Locator Beacons (PLB), and Maritime Survivor Locator Devices (MSLD)
The Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is seeking comments on the consultation of RSS-287, issue 3, November 2023 – “Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT), Personal Locator Beacons (PLB), and Maritime Survivor Locator Devices (MSLD)”.
New Standing Committee Created
In June the Board created the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Committee to provide advice on matters regarding current and future spectrum requirements of UAV’s applications. The Board then sought volunteers to Chair the new committee. This month, Martin McCulloch (Waterloo Regional Police Service/Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police) was appointed Chair of the UAV Committee. Martin is a Transport Canada licenced (advanced) RPAS Pilot and Flight Reviewer for issuing licences.
A kick-off meeting is planned for November. It is anticipated the committee will perform a comprehensive review of available technical and non-technical information pertaining to the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (PAS) market, including radio frequencies used, spectrum management approaches, market size, use cases and regulatory issues. The information review could also be enhanced to include recommendations to ISED on ways to move forward in assisting to the development of spectrum and technical regulations for the use of UAVs in Canada. It is anticipated that ISED will issue a consultation regarding frequencies used by UAVs.