RA Executives

Director: Mike Goddard
E-mail: [email protected]

• Strategic spectrum planning.
• International representation.
• Radio engineering.
• Developing UK spectrum strategy.

  As part of long-term planning, market demand, Spectrum Policy Executive oversees a programme of economic and market demand studies.

• Co-ordinating spectrum use with other government departments, in particular the Ministry of Defence, through leadership of interdepartmental committees on spectrum strategy, national frequency planning, frequency clearance and radio site clearance.
• Spectrum "wholesaler", allocating frequencies to specific radio services or applications.
• Representing UK in international discussions on frequency harmonisation, spectrum engineering and technical standards harmonisation. In Europe, this takes place in the CEPT (the 43-member European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations) and ETSI (the European Telecomunications Standards Institute) and, at global level, in the ITU (the United Nation's International Telecommunication Union) with over 180 member states.
• Co-ordinating international spectrum use, e.g. procedures and policy on international notification, registration and co-ordination of frequency assignments, especially satellite filings. Providing advice on International Radio Regulations.
• Co-ordination of RA interests in our joint-venture company: Radio Spectrum International, including providing spectrum management systems and consultancy in international markets.

Director: Hazel Canter:
E-mail: [email protected]

• Utilising spectrum for individual service products.
• Authorising use of the radio spectrum by individual users through licensing or exemption.
• Designing and implementing procedures for awarding licences: auctions, competitions and "first come first served".
• Defining licence terms and conditions, formulating technical requirements and operating details, and advising how our customers may use radio without causing undue interference to each other.
• Developing and implementing spectrum pricing policy to encourage good spectrum use.
• Authorising or overseeing use of radio equipment by licensing or licence exemption; and formulating the technical and operating standards for radio use in each of our licensing products.
• Seven business units; one responsible for general policy and six customer-focussed units dealing with different types of radio spectrum users:
  • Licensing policy, pricing policy, Agency Open Government contact and international work;
  • specialist sectors (aeronautical, maritime, amateur and Citizens' Band customers);
  • private business radio systems;
  • public telecommunications networks;
  • fixed terrestrial and satellite links customers;
  • broadcasting including broadcast, satellite, programme making and broadband customers;
  • technology sectors, placing of new equipment for sale (Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive) and low power and short range devices. New equipment and test and development and radio astronomy.
• National and specialist licensing take place at the Agency's headquarters. Most local services, including licensing involving individual frequency assignments are handled by our local offices.
• Some licence classes are managed by external agents under contract to the Agency, within a licensing policy framework and to service standards set by the Agency.

Director: Barry Maxwell
E-mail: [email protected]

• "Keeping the Spectrum Clean".
• Local services for customers.
• Interference investigation, monitoring and enforcement.
• Serving customers.
• Issuing local licences and inspecting installations to ensure they comply with licence conditions and so are unlikely to interfere with other users.
• Education in correct radio use.
• Dealing with interference in accordance with priorities set by Ministers:
  • interference affecting emergency services within 24 hours;
  • interference affecting businesses within five working days, and
  • other complaints within one month.
• Monitoring and technical support.
• The Monitoring Station tracks down sources of harmful interference reported by UK users and overseas administrations. The station is staffed around the clock.
• Mobile monitoring teams systematically monitor usage of the radio bands in the UK. Unattended systems monitor channels at selected locations. These can be controlled and read by remote control.
• The United Kingdom Accreditation Services - accredited Electro Magnetic Compatibility and interference laboratories deal with complex measurement and interference work across the whole radio spectrum.
• Co-ordinating the Agency's research programme, which covers many aspects of spectrum management, spectrum sharing, radio propagation and radio system planning. This programme underpins many aspects of RA's work and especially long-term planning of frequency allocations. An independent Radio Research Advisory Committee gives advise to the Agency on the strategic direction of its research programme.
• The Radio Technology and Compatibility Group provides technical evaluation of compatibility of radio systems and contributes to international study groups.
• Enforcement and prosecutions.
  The Agency's policy is to try to persuade radio users to operate legally.
  Those who fail to do so and risk interference to authorised users or who, like unauthorised broadcasters, deliberately flout the law are prosecuted.

Director: Chris de Grouchy
E-mail: [email protected]

• Financial, human and physical resource management.
• Business processes.
• Recruitment, personnel, training and development, Investors in People accreditation.
• Finance, purchasing and contracts, planning and budget management, day-to-day financial matters and preparing year end accounts.
• Interface between the Agency and Radio Spectrum International Consulting, the joint venture company set up to deliver IT services to the Agency and exploit the UK's spectrum management expertise internationally.
• Business process re-engineering, benchmarking and quality management across the Agency.
• Accommodation issues, building security, records management and health and safety.
• Internal and external communication strategies, information and library services, the Agency enquiry point, the Agency's website and publications.
• Press office and publicity.