[CW] FEMA SAYS BPL WILL "SEVERELY IMPAIR" ESSENTIAL HF OPERATIONS

[Ed Tanton]

QUOTING the The ARRL Letter, Vol. 22, No. 49, December 12, 2003


FEMA SAYS BPL WILL "SEVERELY IMPAIR" ESSENTIAL HF OPERATIONS

A proverbial monkey wrench in the works for BPL? Expressing "grave
concerns" about likely interference from unlicensed Broadband over Power
Line (BPL) systems, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told
the FCC that BPL could "severely impair FEMA's mission-essential HF radio
operations in areas serviced by BPL technology." FEMA responded December 4
to last April's FCC BPL Notice of Inquiry, ET Docket 03-104. Now part of
the Department of Homeland Security--the agency said its primary worry is
BPL's potential impact on the FEMA National Radio System (FNARS) on HF.
FNARS is FEMA's primary command and control backup medium under the
Federal Response Plan.

"FEMA has concluded that introduction of unwanted interference from the
implementation of BPL technology into the high frequency radio spectrum
will result in significant detriment to the operation of FEMA radio
systems such as FNARS," FEMA asserted. "FNARS radio operators normally
conduct communications with signals that are barely above the ambient
noise levels." FNARS HF stations, FEMA said, typically are in residential
areas of the sort that BPL might serve.

As part of the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA's perspectives on BPL
could carry substantial weight at the FCC, which may issue a Notice of
Proposed Rule Making as early as February. The FCC's BPL Notice of Inquiry
has attracted more than 5100 comments--many of them from the amateur
community.

FEMA said BPL also could render useless such "essential communications
services" as the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the
Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) and the Civil Air Patrol. FEMA and
ARRL last year signed a Memorandum of Understanding that focuses on how
Amateur Radio may coordinate with the agency in disasters and emergencies.

Calling the HF spectrum "an invaluable and irreplaceable public safety
resource," FEMA said there's no current alternative to HF in terms of
meeting national security and emergency preparedness requirements at the
national, state and local levels. The agency advised the FCC to beef up
its Part 15 rules to ensure no increase in interference levels to existing
FCC or NTIA-licensed communication systems. Otherwise, FEMA predicted,
"any noise increase inevitably would diminish the ability to maintain
essential communications" and would "directly impair the safety of life
and property."

Likewise, FEMA pointed out, amateur HF transmitters could possibly
interfere with and interrupt BPL service, leading consumers not familiar
with Part 15 to blame licensed radio services.

Concluded FEMA: "The purported benefits of BPL in terms of expanded
services in certain communications sectors do not appear to outweigh the
benefit to the overall public of HF radio capability as presently used by
government, broadcasting and public safety users."

Additional information about BPL and Amateur Radio is on the ARRL Web
site, www.arrl.org/tis/info/html/plc/. To support the League's efforts in
this area, visit the ARRL's secure BPL Web site,
https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/.


73 Ed Tanton N4XY <n4xy@earthlink.net>

Ed Tanton N4XY
189 Pioneer Trail
Marietta, GA 30068-3466

website: http://www.n4xy.com

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