LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN TWO ACR. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative

MY ACFT (X) CLRED DIRECT TO SBJ VOR AND CLRED TO 14000'. ACR Y ASKED CTLR WHO WAS JUST OFF THEIR LEFT. THE NY CENTER TOLD US TO TURN TO A 220 DEG HDG IMMEDIATELY; WHICH WE DID. AT THE SAME TIME WE INFORMED THE CTLR THAT WE HAD ACR Y IN SIGHT. HE THEN ASKED THAT WE KEEP Y IN VISUAL CONTACT. AFTER SHORT PERIOD WE WERE RECLRED TO A HIGHER ALT AND DIRECT SBJ. I GUESS WE WERE NEVER CLOSER THAN 1 MI APART. THIS WAS EVIDENTLY JUST AN ATC OVERSIGHT AND THE 2 ACFT NEVER CAME DANGEROUSLY CLOSE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR CLARIFIED TYPES OF ACFT. FACT THAT FEMALE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY. NOT SURE IF WORKING N90 OR ZNY AT THE TIME. SAYS THEY GOT AN UNUSUALLY EARLY CLB TO 16000' OR HIGHER. MOST OF CONVERSATION CONCERNED RPTR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE EXPANDED EAST COAST PLAN (EECP). SAYS CTLRS USE EXCESSIVE SPD CTL; THERE ARE TOO MANY FREQ CHANGES DUE TO SECTORIZATION; ROUTE INTO BOS FROM SW TOOK THEM 130 MI OUT OF WAY; AND THE QAP PROGRAM IN CENTERS HAS RESULTED IN CTLRS KEEPING ACFT 7-10 MI APART WHICH IN EFFECT REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF AIRSPACE AVAILABLE AS MUCH AS 50%.