[NCham] SWL's Can File BPL Interference Complaints

[Gary Pearce KN4AQ]

                SWL's Can File BPL Interference Complaints

Part 15 prohibits interference to licensed services from unlicensed 
devices, but do you need to have a license yourself to complain about 
interference?  Can SWLs complain to the FCC if they receive interference 
from BPL systems?

Yes, they can, with limited exceptions, according to Chris Imlay W3KD, ARRL 
General Council:

"There is no doubt that international broadcast listeners have standing to 
complain about interference to the reception of foreign broadcast signals. 
One does not have to be a licensee of a transmitter in order to receive 
harmful interference from a United States based RF source and have standing 
to complain about it. No shortwave listener to a United States 
international broadcast station can complain because they are not in the 
target audience, but interference to non-U.S. based SW transmissions are 
fair game.

The FCC and court cases on standing to file various petitions, etc. with 
the FCC are complex, but the cases are clear that the allegation of 
suffering actual electromagnetic interference to reception of a broadcast 
service, even one generated internationally, from a domestic RF source, is 
sufficient in every case to demonstrate standing to file a complaint."

Further, ARRL Dave Sumner K1ZZ points out that International 
Telecommunications Union Radio Regulations require member nations to 
protect HF communications from harmful interference:

RR 4.11 reads: "Member States recognize that among frequencies which have 
long-distance propagation characteristics, those in the bands between 5 and 
30 MHz are particularly useful for long-distance communications; they agree 
to make every possible effort to reserve these bands for such 
communications. Whenever frequencies in these bands are used for 
short-range or medium-distance communications, the minimum power necessary 
shall be employed."

RR 15.12 reads, "Administrations shall take all practicable and necessary 
steps to ensure that the operation of electrical apparatus or installations 
of any kind, including power and telecommunication distribution networks, 
but excluding equipment used for industrial, scientific and medical 
applications, does not cause harmful interference to a radiocommunication 
service and, in particular, to a radionavigation or any other safety 
service operating in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations."

The US is an ITU member nation, of course.

73,
Gary KN4AQ

__________________________________________________________________________
        Gary Pearce KN4AQ        editor, SERA Repeater Journal
        Cary, NC                 www.sera.org
        919-380-9944             kn4aq@sera.org
        kn4aq@arrl.net
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