What are the International Telecommunication Union and the International Radio Regulations, anyway?
What is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)? The ITU was founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union. It took its present name in 1934 and became a specialised agency of the United Nations based in Geneva in 1947. The ITU is an inter-governmental organisation, within which the public and private sectors co-operate for the development of telecommunications worldwide. The ITU produces international regulations and treaties governing all terrestrial and space uses of the radio spectrum, within which countries develop their national legislation. It also develops recommendations to facilitate the interconnection of telecommunications systems world-wide, regardless of the type of technology used. These recommendations are implemented in Europe through CEPT. On the 1st September 1999 the ITU consisted of 189 Member States and 576 Sector Members (scientific and industrial companies, public and private operators, broadcasters and regional or international organisat
