[South Florida DX Association] Lobbying BPL Bill

[Bill Marx]

Hello All:

Our ARRL Director, Frank  Butler W4RH, would like letters sent to Senator 
Bill Nelson in support of ARRL legislative initiatives particularly S1629.
A draft letter is attached and should be customized and mailed to him at:

Honorable Bill Nelson
 716 Senate Hart Office Building
 Washington, DC 20510
 Phone: 202-224-5274
 Fax: 202-228-2183

A copy of your letter should be sent to our lobbyist by email to:
 John.chwat at chwatco.com  OR
 Janet.worthington at chwatco.com

Senator Nelson is on the Oversight Committee for this bill and the draft 
letter explains what we are supporting.  Your assistance will be 
appreciated.
 73
Evelyn W4WYR
ARRL Hon VP







The Honorable ___________

United States Senate

_______ Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510



Dear Senator ___________:



            On behalf of nearly 700,000 federally licensed Amateur Radio 
operators across the nation, I wish to bring to your attention an issue that 
affects emergency communication operations.  As a voter in your district, I 
request that you become a cosponsor and support passage within the Senate 
Commerce, Science and Technology Committee, of S. 1629, the "Emergency 
Amateur Radio Interference Protection Act."  This bill urges the Federal 
Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a very targeted but comprehensive 
evaluation of "broadband over power line" (BPL) systems that may interfere 
with public safety and other licensed radio services.



BPL utilizes electric power lines to serve as conductors of broadband 
signals. Unfortunately, because the power lines are not shielded, they also 
act as antennas and radiate signals into the air.   These radiated signals 
interfere with radio receivers tuned to the same frequency range. BPL has 
only been deployed to a very limited extent, but amateur radio operators and 
several state public safety commissions report they are already experiencing 
severe interference that the FCC has been unable or unwilling to correct.



Because no infrastructure is needed to communicate, amateur radio service is 
the only 100 percent fail-safe emergency communication system in the world. 
Interference from BPL emissions is significantly disrupting this capability. 
The impact on emergency communications extends beyond amateur radio 
operations.  Fourteen states utilize a similar frequency range for state 
police operations, and nine of those states use it as their primary radio 
band.  The interference concern has also been echoed by the National 
Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the Association of Public-Safety 
Communications Officials-International (APCO), and the National Public 
Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC).



In deploying broadband, it is vital that further understanding and causation 
of interference be studied by the FCC.  S.1629 will accomplish this goal, by 
allowing the FCC to ascertain what additional rules governing BPL systems, 
if any, should be adopted by the FCC in order to reduce the interference 
potential to a reasonably low level.  The FCC has authority to study this 
issue, as it is the primary agency responsible for adopting rules in BPL 
systems.  Unfortunately, the 2004 rules governing BPL are not sufficient to 
reduce the probability of harmful interference to reasonable levels.



Amateur radio operators, like myself, are not opposed to broadband services. 
On the contrary, we usually tend to be early adopters of new technology. 
However, BPL represents a significant potential interference source for 
radio services using certain frequency ranges.  Unlike BPL, other methods of 
providing broadband Internet services to consumers, such as cable, DSL, 
wireless and Fiber to the Home, do not pollute the radio spectrum.



It is imperative that there is a comprehensive evaluation of the 
interference potential of BPL to public safety services and other licensed 
radio services.  The potential impact on public safety communications must 
be taken into consideration.  Please cosponsor and support passage of 
S.1629, or support its inclusion in a comprehensive broadband bill.  Thank 
you for your attention to this matter.



                                                            Sincerely,







                                                            Name, Title, 
Contact Information