RadioBanter - View Single Post - BPL Pilot Project In Cedar Rapids Shuts Down

July 2nd 04, 08:52 PM

In article , PAMNO
(N2EY) writes:

In article ,
(Len Over 21) writes:

Oddly enough, despite the urban myth of some objecting to BPL,
the FCC does NOT have any power to stop Access BPL!

Actually, they do.

All the FCC can do is put limits on the incidental RF radiation
from a BPL system, then enforce it.

It would be a simple matter for FCC to set the levels so low that none of the
systems could come close to meeting it. That would effectively ban it.

But FCC won't do that. Yet.

The FCC already does
that with other communications service providers (cable TV in
main but also telephone cable and incidental RF radiation from
electric power lines). The enforcement is going to be a total
bitch of a job for BPL. The FCC is way, way down on facilities
to test and measure BPL installations and is going to have to
really pork up its budget to come close to good measurements
in urban areas especially. It will be a HUGE task.

If it gets done. It probably won't. FCC is not bound by any strict deadlines
for enforcement.

There's no good signs evident that the FCC is coming even
close to realizing the gargantuan task of monitoring BPL of the
future. Mikey Powell and company have been sold on BPL "for
the masses" and that's that...a big mass.

Would you refer to Chairman Powell as "Mikey" to his face? Would you address
your comments to FCC to "Mikey"?

The only perceivable way to fight BPL is now after-the-fact, like
the Cedar Rapids group did, apparently successfully. But, that
takes a concerted group effort in each amateur radio locality.
ARRL can't be dependent as the "big gun" to fight BPL.

But they *can* give needed help, and act to coordinate efforts. And if
nothing
else, ARRL has continued to publicize the BPL threat both inside and outside
the amateur community, and to spread accurate information on what is going
on.
The Iowa group and the affected amateur both publicly thanked ARRL for its
help.

They
aren't staffed or budgeted to oversee all the possible BPL
installation testing in the USA. The League's budget would have
to quadruple or quintuple to approach being able to do that...and
still not be enough.

How do you know what it would take, Len? Have you done it?
Have you sent a check to help out?

Individual industry and local government (state on down) groups
haven't shown they have enough clout to make a difference in the
Commission's enthusiasm for BPL.

Regulation of radio is specifically a Federal function. State and local
governments cannot have any real clout - otherwise they'd be requiring
licenses
and fees.

Pandora's Box has already
been opened. Lots of such Boxes in all of the 50 states. It's
going to be one helluva big task to close them.

Maybe. Or maybe a few good precedents will be set that will cause the rest to
give up.

Many highly-touted new technologies have fallen by the wayside once their
disadvantages became known.

There's also the economic angle. The price of DSL keeps dropping, as does
Wi-Fi, while the areas covered by those technologies and cable keep
expanding.
If BPL cannot compete in price and performance, it's all over.

It is interesting to note that the Cedar Rapids system used (past tense,
thankfully) BPL to get the signals to poles near the subscriber's homes, but
then depended on Wi-Fi for the actual "connection" to the customer. Thus,
they
can replace the BPL component with fiber or coax with no effect on the
customer.

Of course from both an engineering and common-sense standpoint, it would make
sense to go the fiber/Wi-Fi route from the very beginning, if the goal is
broadband access without having to do work on the customer's premises. But
both
engineering and common sense are sadly lacking in some places - even among
the
professionals who are trying to bring us BPL.

Say goodbye to low-level HF signals if BPL comes to your QTH,
at least for a while.

Depends on the frequencies used. Not all BPL systems use the entire HF
spectrum. See ARRL descriptions of the Penn Yan (NY) system.

Remember which administration brought out
the spectre of Access BPL to this nation while you and everyone
else are at it.

Not just this nation. The Canadians are at it:

http://www.telecomottawa.com/index.p...wDetails&id=30