[ARRL-OK] BPL Issues - Act NOW!!

[Eddie Manley]

The FCC is still on a FAST pace with their proposed BPL issue.   The 
Notice of Proposed Rule Making has already been printed in the Federal 
Register.   This was posted on March 17th, so we have 45 days to comment 
on it and the BPL issue -- deadline of Monday, May 3rd, 2004.  Please 
read the following and act as a concerned and licensed amateur radio 
operator.  Do it now! [See complete details on the ARRL Home Page]
Eddie Manley - KD5JGB
Ass't Section Manager

 From ARRL Home Page
Comment Deadlines Set for Proposed BPL Rules

NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 18, 2004--Comments on the FCC Broadband over Power 
Line (BPL) Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in ET Dockets 03-104 
and 04-37 are due by Monday, May 3. The deadline for reply comments 
(comments on comments filed by others) is Tuesday, June 1. The NPRM text 
appeared March 17 in The Federal Register. The ARRL will comment by the 
deadline on the FCC's proposals to amend its Part 15 rules to adopt new 
requirements and measurement guidelines for so-called "Access BPL" 
systems that provide broadband access via electric utility power lines. 
ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, says the League recommends that members 
read the NPRM and develop their own thoughtful, considered comments that 
specifically address the FCC's BPL proposals, reflect positively on the 
amateur community and, if possible, offer alternative recommendations. 
Interested individuals and organizations may file comments via the 
Internet, using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). In an 
unusual move, the FCC has added another docket number to the BPL 
proceeding. That could complicate filing comments and may lead to some 
confusion. Although the original FCC BPL Notice of Inquiry last April 
bore ET Docket 03-104, the recent BPL NPRM carries an additional docket 
number--ET Docket 04-37. Another 500 or so comments have shown up on ET 
03-104 since the FCC issued its BPL NPRM, while some two dozen comments 
have been posted in response to ET Docket 04-37.

The FCC's ECFS Express system still provides for filing brief comments 
on ET Docket 03-104, but the ARRL advises those posting comments to use 
the main ECFS page and file their comments on both proceedings--ET 
Docket 03-104 and ET Docket 04-37.

When submitting a comment or viewing filed comments, ECFS users should 
type "03-104" or "04-37" (without quotation marks but including the 
hyphen) in the "Proceeding" field of the ECFS on-line form. Do not use 
the NPRM's FCC document number when filing or searching for comments. 
The ECFS permits attaching a file containing detailed comments prepared 
off-line.