Overview of radio astronomy spectrum protection activities of the Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF)

The science of radio astronomy plays a key role in increasing our understanding of the environment and the universe in which we live. As new technology and services utilizing the radio spectrum get introduced at an ever-increasing pace, the consequences for radio astronomy and other scientific radio services can be severe. In recent years, dramatic increase in the utilization of the radio spectrum by services that actively emit radio waves, as opposed to just receiving them, resulted in high pressure on the radio spectrum as an effectively used finite resource. The dominating topic in management of the radio spectrum today is large satellite constellations, which have the potential to massively impact radio astronomy with strong radio emitters practically filling out the whole sky. The Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF) of the European Science Foundation coordinates activities to keep the frequency bands used by radio astronomy as free as possible from interference. In this talk I will give an overview of its extensive work on protection of radio astronomy and space sciences in Europe in discussions with the major public and private telecommunications agencies and also in discussions within the international bodies that decide on the use of the radio spectrum, where CRAF acts as the expert voice of European radio astronomers.