Forwarded Message:
EVERY HAM HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO FILE COMMENTS ON THIS SUBJECT. THIS IS
THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE TO FACE HAM RADIO IN DECADES OR MAYBE EVER.
IF EVERY YOU WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TO STOP THE DECLINE OF HAM RADIO, NOW IS THE
TIME.
PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION THAT IS FROM THE ARRL NEWS LETTER AND FILE YOUR
COMMENTS NOW.
SUPPORT THE FACT THAT INCREASED H.F. BAND NOISE IS NOT REVERSIBLE AND IS LIKE
SMOG, IT WILL AFFECT ALL USERS OF H.F. RADIO.
PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO YOUR RADIO FRIENDS, WE NEED CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS SENT
TO THE FCC NOW.
THANK YOU,
HAL, N6TZ
==>FCC ACCEPTING COMMENTS IN "BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE" INQUIRY
The FCC released its Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on the deployment of
"Broadband over Power Line" (BPL) technology April 28 and now is
accepting
electronically filed comments in the proceeding, ET Docket 03-104. The
technology has raised concerns of substantial interference to the Amateur
Radio HF bands. BPL would couple high-frequency RF to parts of the power
grid and use existing power lines as the transmission medium to deliver
broadband and Internet services.
The FCC has expressed unabashed enthusiasm for BPL. ARRL CEO David Sumner,
K1ZZ, says Commission members have been acting more like cheerleaders than
regulators. "We were disappointed in the tenor of some commissioners'
statements, but we were encouraged by the fact that in the NOI itself the
FCC did point out that licensed services--including Amateur Radio--'must
be protected from harmful interference' from BPL," he said.
In the NOI, the FCC acknowledges the interference risk from BPL. "The
multiple-carrier transmission nature of the new high-speed BPL technology
could pose increased risk of harmful interference, and thus new BPL
devices may need a higher degree of oversight to ensure that authorized
users are not subject to interference," the FCC said.
The major interference threat to amateurs comes from so-called "access
BPL," because its signals can radiate from outside power lines--possibly
for great distances. The FCC also concedes that close proximity of access
BPL equipment on utility poles might affect--and be affected by--cable TV
and DSL service.
Current FCC Part 15 rules limit the amount of RF energy that can be
injected into the power lines, but, as the FCC concedes, "the new
generation of high-speed BPL devices that use wide spectrum was not
contemplated" when those rules were formulated. The FCC has invited
comments on possible changes to those rules.
The FCC also seeks information on a possible access BPL standards,
spectrum and bandwidth, modulation techniques and data transmission
speeds. Additionally, the Commission seeks the status of BPL development
and anticipated deployment in the marketplace.
ARRL Laboratory Manager and RFI guru Ed Hare, W1RFI, has cautioned that
BPL deployment could mean "a significant increase in noise levels" on
HF.
"Right now with BPL/PLC, there are more questions than answers, and until
those questions are answered, these systems should not be widely
deployed," Hare said. "The time to raise and answer these questions is
now. I truly hope that the NOI will provide a means for the FCC to do just
that."
The ARRL Lab has prepared a comprehensive information page, "Power Line
Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio," on the ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/>. ARRL Lab staff members also plan
to visit sites where BPL is undergoing field testing.
The complete NOI is available on the FCC Web site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-100A1.doc>. The
FCC now is accepting electronically filed comments via its Electronic
Comment Filing System (ECFS) <http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>. Under ECFS
Main Links, click on "Submit a Filing." In the "Proceeding"
field, enter
"03-104" and complete the required fields. Comments may be typed into
a
form, you may attach a file containing your comments or submit them via
e-mail, per instructions on the ECFS page. The comment deadline will be 45
days after publication of the NOI in the Federal Register.