Radio Astronomy Under Seige

Radio astronomy has contributed several of the most fundamental discoveries of the past century. Now, however, it is under relentless and increasing pressure, above all from the communications industry, to give up the protected wavebands containing the astrophysically most important frequencies. Considering that an ordinary portable telephone, if placed on the Moon, would be one of the very brightest sources in the radio sky at its wavelength, even sideband radiation from transmissions in a permitted waveband may be fatal to astronomy. Continued efforts by the IAU and URSI (Union de Radio Science Internationale), as represented by the Scientific Committee on Frequency Allocations for Radio Astronomy and Space Science (IUCAF) within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), are vital for radio astronomy to survive in the face of this competition.