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Austrian
Authorities Pull Plug on BPL Pilot Project
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 8, 2004--The Austrian Amateur Transmitter Federation
(Österreichischer Versuchssenderverband--ÖVSV) reports that a Broadband over
Power Line (BPL) field test in the city of Linz has been cut short as a result
of excessive radio interference. ÖVSV, Austria's International Amateur Radio
Union (IARU) member-society, said in
December that the Government Ministry for Commerce, Innovation and Technology
closed down Linz Power Company's BPL pilot project because it was generating
interference on the HF bands. Shortwave broadcaster Radio Austria's futureZone service says the
case that brought the issue to a head was a Red Cross report that emergency services
radio traffic during a disaster response drill last May was the victim of
massive BPL interference.
"The Commerce Ministry Order not only means
the end of the Linz BPL pilot project," the Radio Austria report said, "but the
end of the deployment of this technology in Austria, especially given the
interference to radio communication in places of business." According to the
broadcaster, measurements were said to have indicated that radiation from the
BPL system exceeded permissible field strength levels by a factor of 10,000.
ÖVSV says radio amateurs in Austria have
opposed deployment of all BPL experiments on the basis of Austrian
communication law as well as International Telecommunication Union international regulations due to the
"massive interference to international communication on the important shortwave
bands." The Federation maintains that in its current form BPL--also known in
Austria as "Internet from the Electrical Outlet"--is neither legal nor
compatible with "vital, worldwide shortwave radiocommunication."
Among other problems with BPL, ÖVSV has cited
its potential to disrupt emergency communications and safety-of-life services
as well as military operations on HF and navigation and aeronautical
communication.
Last fall, ÖVSV representatives and Linz
amateurs got together with power company representatives in an effort to
resolve BPL's incompatibility with HF radio operation. The meetings followed
news reports of interference to emergency service communications and QRM complaints
from several area hams. "Because of the racket, expensive installations, such
as a 20-meter monobander on a high-rise building, become totally worthless," ÖVSV
said.
The utility agreed to look into the
possibility of a 100-meter protective zone around each amateur's location,
notch filters for amateur frequencies, network system filters and the use of 5
GHz wireless local area networks.
Page last modified: 03:41 PM, 09 Jan 2004 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
Copyright © 2004, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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