Fwd: [Pubtech] BPL proposal from the FCC and its effects on HF through VHF

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

Forwarded from the Pub-Tech list.

BPL is "Broadband over Power Lines".
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/06/19/2/

Time to call/fax/visit/write/e-mail your Congressman and Senators again...

- Aaron Read


>Subject: [Pubtech]  BPL proposal from the FCC and its effects on HF 
>through VHF
>To: PUBtech <pubtech@lists.wduq.org>
>Reply-To: "PUBtech Public Radio Tech Talk" <pubtech@lists.wduq.org>
>Sender: "PUBtech Public Radio Tech Talk" <pubtech@lists.wduq.org>
>
>Forwarded FYI from the Radio-tech list.  ...Lyle
>
>....................
>
>The below was posted to an amateur mail list...but it has SERIOUS
>implications to FM and TV broadcast as well...Its time for the SBE to
>get involved with the ARRL on fighting this and individual broadcasters
>need to speak out as well!
>
>========================================================================
>
>Jim Haynie's (W5JBP, President of ARRL) message to all in attendance at
>his talk at the Austin TX Summerfest 2003 and the demonstration (despite
>the technical glitches - hihi) was truly sobering. The BPL technology
>would effectively render the entire HF & low VHF spectrum (from the AM
>BC band to above the FM range) TOTALLY unusable wherever BPL is
>deployed. He was asked if there were studies of possible impact to
>higher frequencies -there are none, yet.
>
>The power industry, it seems, has the FCC in their back pocket. FCC
>engineering staff who raised objections to BPL were told to keep out of
>the discussion.
>
>The FCC is aware that BPL will be very disruptive. They are also aware
>that the Amateur Radio community will be upset. Jim related that he was
>invited to a meeting with one FCC official. That official wanted to know
>what kind of a deal he could make with the ARRL and the Amateur
>community to get them to be quiet. Jim's answer - NO DEALS!. Once this
>Pandora is out of the box, we'll never put it back in. Not with the kind
>of money the power industry will have invested by that time.
>
>One point Jim stressed - when you write your representatives, use the
>word 'pollution'. This is a 'hot-button' with the legislative community.
>He also suggested a factual approach, pointing out that this would be a
>disaster for both sides of the fence. According to one study Jim quoted,
>as little as 25 watts at a distance of 30 meters would disrupt
>communication on the network. And before anyone points out that Part 15
>devices must accept interference from other users, how long do you think
>the BPL crowd would take to fix that?
>
>The one 'ace in the hole' available to amateurs is to make this a very
>visible issue with our legislators in Washington. This approach has
>worked with other interest groups. A 'contact your representative'
>campaign by AOPA has gotten favorable results in lifting many of the
>flight restrictions placed on private pilots after 9/11. Another
>campaign is underway now to secure more reasonable TFR notifications
>when President Bush moves about the country. The amateur community must
>respond in a similar manner to this threat.
>
>The message is very clear - if we want to continue to use the HF and low
>VHF bands throughout the nation as we do today, we need to pressure our
>representatives to block this threat through legislation. The FCC isn't
>going to do it. Let's keep this pollution out of a neighborhood near
>you.
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Lyle Henry, CPBE  THE RADIO DOCTOR  K9DKW/K7OO  Silver Lake/Los Angeles
>    SCA Consultant, Contract Engineer: Brazil, China, Taiwan, SE Asia
>A founder of P-FLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
>   http://www.pflag.org                        323-660-4690 Voice Mail
>       Enjoy science and critical thinking  http://www.csicop.org
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