[AMRadio] US Power Distribution Facilities Target of Attack

[Donald Chester]

Electric power facilities are clearly on terrorists' lists of targets. For 
example, the following excerpts appeared in an Associated Press news item 
just today:

(AP) 24JN02 FORT LAUDERDALE Fla:

Two young Pakistani immigrants from Hollywood, FL alegedly hatched a plan to 
attack South Florida power plants...

Pakistani immigrants Imran Mandhai, 19, and Shueyb Mossa Jokhan, 24 of 
Hollywood were accused this spring of conspiring
to bomb electrical transformers in Miami...

Safraz Jehaludi, a 21-year old computer technician from Miramar, FL is being 
held on charges he sent the FBI anonymous
e-mail messages threatening to blow up the White House and a Florida power 
plant.

In Docket 02-98 the FCC refused to consider allocating a low-frequency 
amateur band in the 160-190 kHz range, due to the
liklihood that ham radio transmissions would disrupt PLC (power line 
carrier) systems widely used to switch electric power
substations on and off line. The Commission took this action despite the 
fact that PLC operates under Part 15 of the rules and,
by definition, is accorded no protection whatever from licesned stations 
transmitting on the same frequencies. The concern is
that interference to PLC could result in widespread power outages.

If the power grid is that vulnerable to inadvertent shutdown caused by 
interference from relatively low power amateur
transmitters, how vulnerable is it to disruption by malevolent forces who 
might set up low-frequnecy transmitters to deliberately
jam PLC? If this is indeed the case, it is imperative that PLC be 
immediately phased out and replaced with more secure
technology that already exists. The power companies are reluctant to make 
the change simply because of the costs involved. If
this is not a serious enough threat to national security for the government 
to mandate replacement of PLC, then the FCC is
using a bogus argument against a 160-190 kHz amateur band.


Don, K4KYV

_________________________________________________________________
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. 
http://www.hotmail.com