[EIDXA] Fw: [dx-list] Utility Ends BPL Trial

[Tom Vavra]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <w2ce at aol.com>
To: <dx-list at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 3:45 AM
Subject: [dx-list] Utility Ends BPL Trial


>
> Utility Cuts Short BPL Trial that was Target of Amateur Complaints
>
> NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 28, 2004--Alliant Energy has called an early end to its
> broadband over power line (BPL) pilot project in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The
> "evaluation system" went live March 30, and plans were for it to remain
active until
> August or September. Alliant shut it down June 25. Ongoing, unresolved HF
> interference from the system to retired engineer Jim Spencer, W0SR, and
other
> amateurs prompted the ARRL to file a complaint to the FCC on Spencer's
behalf
> demanding it be shut down. Spencer said he was happy with Alliant's
decision, and
> was gracious in expressing appreciation to the utility for working with
him on
> the interference issues.
>
> "And thanks also to the ARRL and the Cedar Rapids BPL Steering Committee
for
> their knowledge and efforts in making a truly professional evaluation," he
> added.
>
> Alliant Energy's BPL Project Leader Dan Hinz says the ARRL complaint
> "certainly was a factor" in the utility's decision to pull the plug
prematurely but
> "not the overriding factor." More to the point, he said, was that Alliant
also
> was able to "accomplish the majority of its objectives" ahead of schedule.
The
> primary purpose of the Cedar Rapids evaluation was to gain an
understanding of
> BPL technology and what issues might be involved in a real-world
deployment,
> Hinz explained, adding that regulatory uncertainty and other unspecified
> technical issues also factored into the choice to end the pilot early.
>
> Hinz said Alliant is "moshing the data" to compile a written evaluation of
> the Cedar Rapids pilot, but the company has no plans at this point to move
> forward with BPL. Alliant did not partner with a broadband services
provider, and
> it has no other BPL test systems in operation. The system used Amperion
BPL
> equipment.
>
> According to Spencer, five fixed Amateur Radio stations within proximity
of
> the BPL evaluation system and two mobile stations formally reported BPL
> interference on HF. "The radio amateurs and Alliant Energy cooperated by
sharing
> interference information," he said. "Alliant Energy turned the BPL
evaluation
> system off twice to allow collection of extensive BPL frequency and signal
level
> data--with and without BPL." He said Alliant and Amperion tried various
> "notching" schemes to rid amateur frequencies of the BPL interference with
only
> limited success. The system included both overhead and underground BPL
links to
> feed 2.4 GHz wireless "hot spots" for end user access.
>
> Hinz said the area's topography presented some challenges, especially with
> the system's wireless links. In hindsight, he suggested, Cedar Rapids
might have
> not have been the best place to test BPL. "I think in the end, we actually
> over-challenged ourselves with this specific pilot location." Despite
> "substantial progress" in interference mitigation, Hinz said, Alliant
decided at this
> point that "it wasn't worth the extra effort" to resolve the thornier
technical
> issues.
>
> As for the broader implications of Alliant's decision, Hinz says he's
always
> viewed BPL as a "strategic deployment technology," not one a company could
> roll out just anywhere and expect to be competitive with existing
broadband
> services such as cable and DSL.
>
> "At least that's how we were looking at it.," he said. "You have to find
the
> right areas with the right topography with the right concentration of
certain
> types of customers," he said. "And from our test standpoint, we didn't
> necessarily give perhaps as much merit to some of those criteria as we
should have."
>
> "It's never been in my mind that BPL has to compete with the speeds of
cable
> today," Hinz added. "It has to compete with the speeds of cable and the
next
> best thing tomorrow as well, if it's going to be usable well into the
future."
>
>
> Cedar Rapids already has established broadband providers. Hinz said the
> Alliant system was a test-stand operation that never reached the point of
signing
> up any real customers, and its technology was "fixed in time." Other
companies
> have gone beyond what Alliant was able to accomplish in Cedar Rapids, he
> asserted, and plan to move ahead with BPL. He hinted that Alliant might
want to
> take another look at BPL once the FCC has put BPL rules and regulations
into
> place, and the technology has further evolved.
>
> Spencer and Hinz agree that the BPL situation was resolved without any
> rancor. Still outstanding are some chronic power line noise problems
Spencer has
> experienced. "There's been ongoing dialogue," Hinz said "He helps keep our
lines
> pretty clear up there."
>
> The ARRL's formal complaint to FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief David H.
Solomon
> called on the Commission not only to close down Alliant's BPL field trial
> system but to fine the utility $10,000 for violating the Communications
Act of
> 1934 and FCC Part 15 rules. In late May, ARRL Midwest Division Director
Wade
> Walstrom, W0EJ, also called on Alliant Energy to shut down its BPL system
"without
> delay" and not resume operation until "any and all interference issues
have
> been fully resolved."
>
> The ARRL became involved in Spencer's case after United Power Line Council
> President William R. Moroney invited the League in mid-March to keep his
> organization in the loop on any cases of BPL interference that were not
being
> satisfactorily addressed.
>
> For additional information, visit the "Broadband Over Power Line (BPL) and
> Amateur Radio" page on the ARRL Web site. To support the League's efforts
in
> this area, visit the ARRL's secure BPL Web site.
>
>
> ==========================================================
> Bob Reed, W2CE
> Toms River, NJ 08757
> ==========================================================
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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