On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 02:40:26 GMT, (Robert Lay
W9DMK) wrote about broadband:

[snip]
| It makes your
|head swim to think about where it will be 5 years from now.
|Bob, W9DMK, Dahlgren, VA

Colin Powell's little boy will be giving us BPL any day now and our
problems will be over. [g]

Interesting that CFR Title 47 part 97 states in part:

"Sec. 97.1 Basis and purpose.
The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an
amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the
following principles:
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur
service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication
service, _particularly with respect to providing emergency
communications_." (emphasis added)

And yet the ARRL reports on the latest BPL news:

"We similarly do not find that Amateur Radio frequencies warrant the
special protection afforded frequencies reserved for international
aeronautical and maritime safety operations," the Commission said.
"While we recognize that amateurs may on occasion assist in providing
emergency communications," the FCC added. It described typical amateur
operations as "routine communications and hobby activities."

I guess during the next forest fire, earthquake, tornado, hurricane,
boating accident or terrorist attack we can just sit back and play
with our toys while all of the real communications takes place on the
Internets, as GWB would say.