[W2CRA] Fwd: Please send a letter to Senator Lautenberg

[Walter O'Brien, WO2U]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "ARRL HU-NJ Division" <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
> Date: July 17, 2007 8:33:12 AM EDT
> To: wo2u at walterobrien.com
> Subject: Please send a letter to Senator Lautenberg
>
> I am sending this e-mail requesting all New Jersey ARRL members to  
> write
> to Senator Frank Lautenberg, a key member of the Senate Commerce
> Committee, and request his support of S. 1629.  This bill orders the
> FCC to investigate the interference potential of BPL and is important
> in protecting amateurs from BPL interference.
>
> I am including a draft letter you can personalize or use as a model.
> Please send me an e-mail copy at n2ff at arrl.org of the letter you send
> so that I can send a copy to John Chwat our Washington DC lobbyist.
>
> Thanks for your help and please have a good ham radio filled summer.
>
> 73 de Frank Fallon -  ARRL Hudson Division Director.......
>
>
> The Honorable Frank Lautenberg
> United States Senate
> Hart Senate Office Building
> Suite 324
> Washington, DC 20510
>
> Dear Senator Lautenberg:
>
> 	On behalf of nearly 700,000 federally licensed Amateur Radio  
> operators
> across the nation, with more than 13,000 residing in New Jersey, 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
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> ARRL Hudson Division
> Director: Frank Fallon, N2FF
> n2ff at arrl.org
> --------------------------------------------------------------------