BPL (broadband over powerline) again

The local TV station ran a news story last Friday about the FCC approving BPL. Everyone thinks BPL is so great but the general public does not understand the interference potential of this technology to unrelated services that use the shortwave spectrum. I sent them an email to bring up the negative side of BPL.

The text of my email:

You recently ran a news report about the FCC approving BPL (broadband over power lines). While on the surface this would appear to be a benefit for internet users there is a negative side to BPL that very few people, including the power utilities and BPL equipment providers, understand.

It is understandable why BPL has sparked the interest of internet users and power companies. After all, power lines are everywhere so if you can piggyback internet access that would appear to be a good thing. BPL proponents try to convince us that all you have to do is plug in some equipment at the utility substation and plug a little box into the wall in your home and you have high speed internet. This is far from the truth as power lines were never designed to carry anything but 60-cycle AC power.

BPL technology attempts to provide connectivity by sending high frequency signals down the power lines. The frequency range used by common BPL schemes span between 3 and 30 MHz. This range is commonly known as the shortwave spectrum. Power lines look like long antennas to signals in this range. The end result is the BPL signals radiate and can be heard on receivers for hundreds of feet from the lines. This radiation will cause harmful interference to licensed users in this spectrum. Since power lines are everywhere the zone of interference will almost 100 percent of populated areas should it be widely adopted.

BPL was approved by the FCC as a part 15 service. Part 15 is the portion of rules that deal with unlicensed devices that generate radio frequency (RF) energy either intentional or unintentional. Part 15 regulations are an attempt to protect licensed users of the RF spectrum from unlicensed devices and services. Unfortunately Part 15 was written with the point of view that any device would be a single point source. Not something like BPL that covers a large geographical areas by way of the power grid. BPL proponents will say they don’t cause interference because their systems are within Part 15 guidelines. Unfortunately this does not preclude the possibility of interference as demonstrated by BPL field trials. Proponents will also say that current BPL technology will not cause interference. This just is not true. Current BPL technology is very disruptive to shortwave radio communications. This is a proven fact not speculation.

So who is going to be harmed by this interference? There are a lot of licensed and un-licensed users in the shortwave spectrum. This includes government and non-government users. Since BPL is targeted at residential users it will primarily affect all shortwave enthusiasts, shortwave broadcasters world wide, and Amateur Radio operators. Now some of you will probably say well who cares but this just the wrong attitude to take. Amateur Radio is not an obsolete technology as some uninformed people believe. We are as advanced as any technology, but I digress from my topic.

I have been involved with Amateur Radio since I was 13-years old (I am now 47). It was amateur radio that provided a driving force to pursue electrical engineering and a career path. Why should I have to give this up just because someone thinks they can make a buck by pushing a poor technology to the public? Why should I have to give up a activity so someone can save a few buck to download porn at high speed? It is just wrong to push bad technology of BPL down our throats when there are other non-interfering solutions available.

The cable company and phone company provide internet access (cable modem and DSL) without impacting any non-related service or activity. Why are we even considering something like BPL with the negative impact to the entire shortwave spectrum? Talk about polluting a natural resource!

The FCC has turned a blind eye to the situation. Unfortunately the bureaucrats in the FCC are running amok on this high speed internet bandwagon with little understanding of the technology. As a licensed users of the spectrum I have priority over any Part 15 device. The FCC rules require the owners of any Part 15 device to terminate its operation in the event of interference. The FCC should be enforcing interference protection to licensed users but they have chosen not to do so when the interference source is BPL.

The cost and equipment required to implement BPL is not trivial. You will hear BPL proponents talk about how BPL is the only technology that can bring high speed internet to rural America. How may BPL test sites in operation today cover rural America? None that I can find. All of the field trials and the proposed service areas are in populated areas. Why is this? Because BPL will take the same effort to provide service as does DSL. There is no benefit to BPL over other technologies.

As far as I can see the only reason for BPL is to give power utilities and city governments that provide their own power a way onto the internet bandwagon. Considering the blackout situation that occurred in the northeast I think power utilities need to stick with supplying electrical power and let the communications utilities provide communications.

If the power companies want to get into the internet business there are better ways to do it than current technology that just pollutes the radio spectrum. They have all the right-a-way for fiber optic cable and could use wireless technology to provide access in the “last mile” to the end user.

For additional information on the interference aspect of BPL I invite you to visit the BPL link on the web site for the American Radio Relay League (ARRL):

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/

By the way, some field trials of BPL have been shut down because of cost and interference potential of this technology. Lets hope our local utility sees the folly of BPL before they waste a lot of money down this rat hole. We are also watching the developments of the BPL rollout in the Cinergy service area.

I am not against more competition for broadband access. In addition, the internet is an important resource to amateur radio. Rural amateurs radio operators need high speed access also. But lets make sure the technology used to provide this service does not harm non-related service like shortwave broadcast and amateur radio.