Stock traders petitioning for high-power access to shortwave frequencies

One of the big items in amateur radio news the past couple of weeks is an FCC petition by a group calling itself the Shortwave Modernization Coalition (SMC). Basically, what they want to do is to use HF frequencies formerly reserved for broadcasting to send data using  20 kW transmitters at a bandwidth of 50 kHz. They’ve been doing this with an experimental license for several years now, and they are now petitioning the FCC to change the Part 90 rules.

I don’t really understand all the details, but the theory is that sending stock buy and sell orders via HF is miliseconds faster than sending it via the internet or via satellites, and that this tiny bit of time is money. They say that if approved, “the proposed amendments would enhance market makers’ ability to quickly access real-time financial data and to continue to act in a manner that provides liquidity and helps to improve asset prices, to the benefit of centralized markets and market participants.”

It goes on to say, “The proposed amendments also have the potential to spur additional innovations in the use of 2-25 MHz Band frequencies. The availability of 2-25 MHz Band frequencies for such use also would obviate the need for businesses that require the fixed, long-distance transmission of time-sensitive data to rely on fiber, microwave and millimeter wave wireless, and satellite systems, which are costly, not capable of achieving comparably short transmission delay, and can be less secure than 2-25 MHz Band transmission systems.”

The petition, which you can tell was written by professionals, also says that these operations will not cause interference to the services currently using frequencies between 2 and 25 MHz. They say that they have received no complaints during the experimental period and don’t anticipate any in the future.

Commenting on the petition

The ARRL will undoubtedly file a comment on this petition. Members of the public can also comment. You have until the end of July to file your own comment.

A fellow on the cwops mailing list offered the following advice:

Having had some experience meeting and testifying before the FCC Staff [flanked by company lawyers who were very fearful of what the engineer might say], here’s couple of hints on commenting:

1.  Speak to the subject of the action, and only the subject of the action.  The action here is high power digital stations possibly adjacent but not inside ham bands.  An epistle decrying millisecond securities trading will get your comments tagged as non responsive and sent to the “File and Forget” folder.

2.  “I do/don’t agree”, “I’m in/not in favor” comments are essentially votes.  The staff may count them but they carry little if any weight and a majority won’t rule.  Getting on the air and working a new one will likely be more productive for you.

3.  ECFS is not FB or Twitter.  Rants carry zero and often negative weight with the Commission staff and, since you’re filing your rant on ECFS which is the Commission’s public front lawn, hams often end up looking fairly childish.

How long will it take for this operation to be hacked?

Streve, N8GNJ, had an interesting take on all this. He wrote, “…their signals can be received by equipment as simple as a $30 Software Defined Receiver and potentially decoded with something as powerful and cost-effective as a Raspberry Pi 4 cluster. Thus, although these companies are undoubtedly being assured that their communications will be private through the use of encryption and proprietary techniques, I suspect it won’t be long before such communications are rendered ‘not quite so private.'”

There certainly is motivation to hack this system. If the SMC can’t make their transmissions secure enough, all the noise that this petition has generated would be moot.

I’ll finish this post with a bit of optimism. I can see at least two positive outcomes:

1. This group will spend money researching digital communications on HF. Some of this research could find its way into amateur radio, thereby improving our capabilities.
2. There will be more jobs for HF radio engineers and technicians, and by extension, this will be another reason for young people to get into amateur radio.