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 Previous: Amateur Radio Emergency Service Activates in Tornados' Aftermath |  Next: Mississippi Becomes 22nd State to Adopt PRB-1 Statute |
NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 14, 2006--Contributions to the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund have helped the League to make significant progress in the battle against interference from Broadband Over Power Line (BPL). But the fight's not over, says ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, who calls the BPL effort "one of the most important the ARRL has ever undertaken to protect Amateur Radio spectrum." Thanks in part to the generosity of League members, however, Sumner offered up some good news as the Spring 2006 Spectrum Defense Fund campaign kicks off.
"Contrary to the predictions of its shameless promoters, 2005 was not a big year for BPL," Sumner said in a letter to League members. "The number of cities in which BPL service was widely available to consumers was the same at the end of the year as at the beginning: two." Sumner said that cable and DSL providers across the nation add more new broadband customers in a single morning than have ever been served by BPL. He also points to shutdowns of BPL trials and initiatives in Pennsylvania and Idaho.
"Most utilities that have looked at BPL have decided not to pursue it," he said. But Sumner cautions that Amateur Radio cannot count on BPL's "likely failure in the marketplace" to keep the "unique, priceless natural resource" that is the radio spectrum safe from pollution.
Voluntary Contributions Help Keep the BPL Interference Threat Visible
The ARRL has been in the forefront of raising the visibility of the BPL radio interference issue, Sumner asserted. "We have kept after the FCC to correct ongoing spectrum pollution from BPL, particularly from the much-ballyhooed system in Manassas, Virginia." At the same time, the League has gladly cooperated with BPL companies that take the interference issue seriously and design their systems to avoid it.
"The ARRL is not opposed to BPL, but we remain steadfastly opposed to interference caused by BPL systems," Sumner stressed.
Spectrum Defense Fund contributions have enabled the League to petition the FCC to "properly draw the line between BPL systems that can be deployed without serious harm to radio communication and those that cannot"--something the current BPL rules don't do. Until such rules are in place and properly enforced, and BPL is allowed to succeed or fail on its merits, "we won't let the spectrum polluters and their apologists off the hook" and keep after the FCC to "do the right thing."
Sumner notes that the ARRL Lab has, of necessity, become the "foremost center of technical expertise" on BPL radio interference. "Our field measurements are accurate," he notes. "Companies such as Motorola have sought our advice."
The ARRL continues to monitor BPL developments at the state level as well, Sumner adds, as BPL proponents lobby lawmakers and public utility commissions for competitive advantages to overcome BPL's economic shortcomings.
In the meantime, Sumner says, BPL companies that take interference seriously are gaining traction at the expense of those that deny the problem exists. "This is no accident. It's the result of the ARRL's relentless media relations efforts to keep radio interference at the center of the BPL discussion."
BPL Interference Only One Spectrum Threat
While it's attracted much of the attention in recent years, BPL is just one of many threats to the Amateur Radio spectrum we enjoy. "A dedicated team of volunteers and staff works constantly on your behalf," Sumner said. "There are opportunities as well as threats."
As an example, Sumner notes that the League is attempting to leverage the five-voice-channel "toehold" it obtained for Amateur Radio in the vicinity of 5 MHz into something more like a traditional amateur allocation.
"Your support as an ARRL member is absolutely essential to our continued success," Sumner concluded, calling on members to be as generous as possible. "Membership dues alone are not sufficient to fund everything that must be done for the protection, promotion and advancement of the Amateur Radio Service."
Members may contribute
to the Spectrum Defense Fund via the ARRL's secure donations Web page.
| Previous: Amateur Radio Emergency Service Activates in Tornados' Aftermath | Next: Mississippi Becomes 22nd State to Adopt PRB-1 Statute |
