[NLRS] BPL

[jcplatt1@mmm.com]

Over my lunch hour I watched the FCC's meeting on BPL (Notice of Proposed
Rule Making for BPL).     I would recommend all amateur radio Op's take a
few minutes to watch it ..... the website is
http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/agendameetings.html .... click on the
"February 2004 Meeting Video" ... you will need RealPlayer and probably a
higher speed access.

After watching this one point that I continued to think about is the FCC's
(appropriate) concern to assure that current radio services (ours and
others) are protected from any harmful interference and that there are ways
to mitigate it should it occur.    That almost direct quote got me thinking
about what the definition of "harmful interference" is.   For example, if
BPL raises my receiver noise floor such that I can't hear weak tropo,
perhaps EME, is that harmful interference ?    What if it raises my noise
floor in only one direction but not others, is that harmful interference ?

The Part 15 definition of harmful interference, the one that drives if
"mitigation" would be needed,  is as follows:

   (m) Harmful interference. Any emission, radiation or induction that
endangers the functioning of a radio navigation service or of other safety
services or seriously degrades, obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a
radiocommunications service operating in accordance with this chapter.

Hmmm.   It would be nice to have some amateur radio based examples of what
the FCC would consider harmful interference.    For example, looking at the
ARRLs website on various BPL testing to date, are those examples of
"harmful interference" ?

Is it possible that with BPL (or for that matter, other Part 15
technologies) we could have interference that changes our hobby but that
isn't harmful interference ?
73, Jon
W0ZQ