Is anyone else embarrassed by the 'public sound and fury' antics of ARRL
in response to the BPL threat? Below is part of some correspondence I
sent to my Division Director. If you feel it's time for more sound
science and less hand-wringing, you should let YOUR Director know.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jay,

I understand all the arguments against BPL rollout and I agree with 98%
of them. I also agreee that ARRL ought to mount the strongest possible
technical rebuttal to relaxation of Part 15 rules. To that end the work
of Ed Hare, et.al. is dead on target. I personally authorize you to
double the amount of my dues to support sound science-based work which
generates a technically convincing rebuttal to Michael Powell and his
minions.

But this amateurish "whipping up the troops to write letters to the
White House" and similar tactics are embarrassing. The typical ham (I'm
sorry to report) hasn't the technical accumen to make any sort of
persuasive case against BPL, so their protests take on the whining tone
of "you can't do this to us because we do all this good stuff on HF.".

As someone with a lot of professional contacts in the wireless industry,
I can tell you that our public and regulatory image is on a swift
decline. We are increasing viewed as technically naive kneejerk
obstructionists. For every Ed Hare doing good technical investigation
and writing convincing counter arguments, there are thousands of
clueless emotional emails and letters irresponsibly stoked up by Dave
Sumner editorials. The valuable and responsible work of Ed Hare gets
lost in the "noise and fury".

73, de Hans, K0HB