[CW] BPL<> ARRL: Now THIS is more like it!!!

[Ed Tanton]

Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 22, No 42
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 18:24:52 -0400
To: n4xy@earthlink.net
From: "ARRL Letter Mailing List" <letter-dlvy@arrl.org>


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The ARRL Letter    Vol. 22, No. 42   October 24, 2003

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IN THIS [edited to BPL article-only] EDITION:

* +ARRL puts Virginia city on notice regarding BPL rollout

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=3D=3D>VIRGINIA BPL STARTUP SPARKS ARRL RESPONSE

The ARRL this week put officials in Manassas, Virginia, on notice that the=
=20
League will act on behalf of its members to ensure full compliance with FCC=
=20
regulations when the city's Broadband over Power Line (BPL) system starts=20
up in a few months. The League was responding to media reports that=20
Manassas--a Washington, DC, suburb--has approved plans for a citywide BPL=20
rollout. Manassas City Council reportedly voted unanimously October 16 to=20
grant a 10-year franchise to Prospect Street Broadband to expand a BPL=20
field trial and offer high-speed Internet service to the entire community=20
over municipal power lines. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, on October 22=20
faxed Manassas Mayor Marvin L. Gillum to point out BPL's dark side--the=20
potential for RF interference from and to any BPL system.

"Your advisors no doubt have made the Council fully aware of the great=20
potential for radio interference from such a system," Sumner said. "In=20
particular, you are no doubt well aware that Title 47 CFR =A715.5 requires=
=20
that no harmful interference is caused to any radiocommunication service,=20
and that the operator shall be required to cease operation upon=20
notification by a Federal Communications Commission representative that the=
=20
device is causing harmful interference." Sumner noted that the same FCC=20
Part 15 rule also provides no protection against interference from the=20
operation of an authorized radio station.

"Tests conducted by ARRL technical personnel have shown that the system=20
planned to be deployed in Manassas causes harmful interference to the
Amateur Radio service," Sumner said. "We also have reason to believe that=20
the system will be susceptible to interference from normal amateur station
operations."

An article in Potomac News.com touted the impending Manassas BPL rollout as=
=20
the first of its type in the US. Sumner said he was writing to alert the=20
City of Manassas "on behalf of its members who live in and use the public=20
thoroughfares of Manassas" that the ARRL "will ensure that there is full=20
compliance with the FCC regulations" once the city's BPL system is in=20
operation.

Prospect Street Broadband reportedly will offer the BPL service for $29.95=
=20
a month. One estimate predicts the city stands to gain up to $4.5 million=20
over the 10-year life of the contract, due to be signed this week.

The Manassas BPL field trial is one of the smallest now under way and=20
involves fewer than a dozen homes and businesses. It was installed in an=20
area that has underground utility wiring and no Amateur Radio licensees=
 nearby.

BPL articles in major media have proliferated in recent weeks, many of them=
=20
painting the service in rosy hues and neglecting to point out the potential=
=20
for radio interference to and from BPL by other HF spectrum occupants. An=20
October 13 article in The Wall Street Journal, "A New Outlet," by Walin=20
Wong, quotes one trial user who calls the service "fantastic." But Wong=20
also notes that one "Achilles' heel" of BPL is that serving rural areas=20
would require installing costly repeaters every mile or so along the power=
=20
line. The article also deals with the reluctance on the part of some=20
electric utilities to embrace the technology.

Sumner also reacted to the WSJ article. In a letter to the editor not yet=20
published, he pointed out that BPL "amounts to sending a wideband radio=20
signal over unshielded wires that were not designed for the purpose" and=20
that do not work well for the 2 to 80 MHz signals common in BPL systems.=20
Instead, "they function as antennas," he said, and that can lead to=20
interference to radio services, including some involved with public safety.

Sumner said potential broadband technology and delivery investors would be=
=20
far better off considering fiber in densely populated areas and adaptations=
=20
of wireless LAN technology in rural areas.

Additional information on BPL and video clips from field trial sites are on=
=20
the ARRL "Power Line Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio"=20
page  <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/>. To support the League's=20
efforts in the BPL fight, visit the ARRL's secure BPL Web site
<https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/>.


72/73 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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