WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed technical rules allowing broadband services to be delivered over power lines.
The proposed rules “set forth procedures to measure the radiofrequency energy emitted by equipment used to provide broadband service over power lines and establish particularized interference mitigation requirements. By facilitating access to broadband service over power lines (BPL), the FCC takes an important step toward increasing the availability of broadband in rural and underserved areas because power lines reach virtually every home and community in the country. In areas in which consumers already have broadband access, BPL enhances competition by providing another broadband alternative. These proposed changes will also facilitate the ability of electric utilities to dynamically manage the power grid itself, increasing network reliability,” said the FCC.
The technical rules will require BPL operations to operate under the existing unlicensed standard known as Part 15.
Ham-radio operators have been up in arms about the possibility of BPL since the FCC issued its notice of inquiry earlier this year. Thursday’s decision did not placate them.
“I had hoped the FCC would have shown a greater depth of understanding of the issue,” said Jim Haynie, president of the American Radio Relay League.
A public database will be developed where power companies register where BPL is operating. If licensed operators, including armatures or mobile phone licensees, experience interference, they can consult the database. If BPL is operating in the area of interference, it will be up to the power company to mitigate the situation.
“A BPL operator would submit information about its system to an industry-sponsored entity, which would establish a publicly accessible database. The information would include the location of installed BPL operations and equipment, the type of modulation used and the frequency of operation,” said Anh Wride, senior engineer in the technical rules branch of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology. ” This database would ensure that location of BPL equipment and operations are readily available and if interference is detected to facilitate timely mitigation and avoidance measures.”
