Another fight regarding the Manassas BPL system in Virginia is underway. The ARRL calls a report “flawed”, and makes an inquiry to the FCC.

‘ “ARRL objects to the report because it is based on improper engineering practice and contrary to the instructions provided by your office in your letter dated June 16, 2006,” ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, wrote FCC Spectrum Enforcement Division Chief Joseph Casey on August 2. In June, Casey had ordered the City of Manassas and BPL provider COMTek to investigate complaints from several Manassas radio amateurs of BPL interference to their mobile operations and report back to the Commission on their findings. The League, and local amateurs, contend the BPL system is still causing harmful interference to Amateur Radio operations, despite the clean bill of health the engineering report purports to present.’

There are disputes as to how attenuation at ham frequencies was measured and peak signal bands. It seems this BPL dispute with members ham radio operators has a way to go yet.

Last week the FCC upheld the rules for Access Broadband over Power Line, or Access BPL, systems. The guidelines maintain safeguards relating to the current radio services in existence.

Basically, regarding Access with Broadband over Power Line, if their is an interference deemed harmful, action will be taken.

In their Memorandum Opinion and Order they offer the following regarding Access BPL,

• ‘Affirms its rules regarding emission limits for BPL, including its determination that the reduction of emissions to 20 dB below the normal Part 15 emissions limits will constitute adequate interference protection for mobile operations
• Denies the request by the amateur radio community to prohibit BPL operations pending further study and to exclude BPL from frequencies used for amateur radio operations
• Denies the request by the television industry to exclude BPL from frequencies above 50 MHz
• Affirms the July 7, 2006 deadline for requiring certification for any equipment manufactured, imported or installed on BPL systems, with the proviso that uncertified equipment already in inventory can be used for replacing defective units or to supplement equipment on existing systems for one year within areas already in operation
• Affirms the requirement that information regarding BPL deployment must be provided in a public database at least 30 days prior to the deployment of that equipment
• Adopts changes regarding protection of radio astronomy stations by requiring a new exclusion zone and amending consultation requirements for these stations
• Adopts changes to provide for continuing protection for aeronautical stations that are relocated
• Denies the request by the aeronautical industry to exclude BPL operating on low-voltage lines from frequencies reserved for certain aeronautical operations
• Denies the request by the gas and petroleum industry to be considered as public-safety entities.’

The complete Memorandum Opinion and Order dealing with Access Broadband over Power Line can be obtained here.

This is a blow to the Amateur Radio operators opposing BPL. With areas like Texas scheduled to test Broadband over Power Line, and this affirmation by the FCC, the momentum is beginning to roll.

Last week, the Austin City Council approved spending up to $317,500 to test Broadband Over Powerline internet service. A spokesman for the group had this to say regarding BPL provider technology in Austin Texas.

‘”Everyone is saying how great this is,” Collins said of broadband over power lines, which for years has been touted as a third high-speed Internet pipe into homes and businesses, competing with cable and the digital subscriber line service offered by phone companies. “All we want to know is, what does this really do?’

As is the case in Texas, the established power companies are unsure how much strain Broadband Over Powerline will put on their existing power grid. With utility companies sometimes competing for more power to push those air conditioners or baseboard heaters, they want to take their time and test this technology first. It’s good to see Broadband Over Powerline testing being done in Austin Texas. Even if BPL isn’t online for a few years, this is a start in the right direction.

When’s Broadband Over Powerline, or BPL coming? We get asked that question by many inquisitive and broadband hungry powerusers. Broadbandfocus.com recently read an interview with an expert in the field. Here’s what he had to say about this powerline technology.

‘“Utilities have been slow to grasp this,” says Chano Gomez, vice president of technology and strategic partnerships at DS2 (Design of Systems on Silicon), which supplies high-speed powerline chips to device makers such as NETGEAR. “They are waiting for the pioneers.”

Those pioneers smell a market. That’s because as service providers continue to invest in network upgrades that promise faster connections to the home, they are faced with the quagmire of how to distribute that fat pipe throughout the residence. “The problem providers have is they know how to bring broadband to the home, but they can’t distribute the signals inside,” says Gomez.’

How long it will take to solve that problem is anyone’s guess. In the world of technology, and especially in the field of Broadband Over Powerline the going is sometimes slow.