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Many articles have appeared in the press about BPL. The articles on this web page are a selected representative of the many articles ARRL believes address the technical aspects of BPL's operation and its impact on radio operators. Many more such articles are listed in links in the archives that can be accessed by clicking the year above.
ARRL also has a related page that explains how to best communicate information about BPL to local newspapers and TV or radio stations.
Broadband Over Powerline Future Fading Away
5/8/2008, Information Week -- "Dying slowly over the past few months, the hope of using utility powerlines for broadband transmission is receiving what appears to be a conclusive nail in its coffin as a Texas utility company this month said it will buy the broadband-over-powerline (BPL) business owned by Current Group. . . Pioneering BPL deployments in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and in Manassas, Va., have also faded. In Manassas -- once the pioneering test bed for the technology -- the city's supplier, ComTek, has been sold. Ham radio operators had waged a long and contentious battle, charging that BPL interfered with their signals. The Sault Ste. Marie provider, Amperion, has left the BPL business and reinvented itself as a provider of hybrid networks. In Australia, different utilities have either dropped BPL deployments altogether or are downsizing them to a point approaching demise, according to recent media reports."
Is it Lights Out for Broadband Over Powerline?
5/8/2008, IT Business Edge -- "Broadband over powerline (BPL) always has been intriguing, despite the fact that even its staunchest proponents understand that the data rates it provides don’t hold a candle to other broadband conduits. . . For the most part, however, BPL has been a disappointment. The lowered cost of broadband and the ability of dial-up to satisfy very basic users is squeezing BPL from both directions. From the technical standpoint, sending sensitive signals along with all that electricity is the equivalent of debutantes carpooling with professional wrestlers. Ham radio operators have consistently opposed projects because of interference issues."
Broadband service over power lines in Texas to shut down
5/8/2008, Washington Post (via AP)-- "Goodbye, broadband over power lines. We hardly knew you. Once touted as a possible third option for home broadband that could compete with phone and cable companies, the idea of providing Internet service over power lines now looks like it has died in infancy. A Texas utility company said last week that it is taking control of the equipment that was to be used in the largest planned U.S. deployment of broadband over power lines, or BPL -- and won't be using it to provide Internet service. . . The network was to offer Internet service to 2 million electricity customers through their wall outlets. Instead, Oncor will use the data capabilities of the network to monitor the electric grid. 'Our business is delivering electricity, not being an Internet provider or a television provider,' said Oncor spokesman Chris Schein. Other BPL trials have met with similar fates, though a few are still in operation. Compared to coaxial cables and copper phone lines, power lines are poor conduits for data. Some deployments also met fierce legal resistance from ham radio operators, who found that BPL created radio interference."
The Feds as Cheerleaders
5/6/2008, Andrew Seybold -- "The government's job is not to act as a cheerleader for a technology it thinks is "interesting" such as BPL or unlicensed white noise. Rather, it is to have its engineering staff review and test the technologies, weigh the pluses and minuses of each and then make recommendations that are followed by the Commission. Unfortunately, it appears those days are over and what we are left with is a politics and damn the consequences attitude!"
BPL Powers Down
5/5/2008, WiFi Net News -- "Part of the “BPL is dead” argument I make today stems from an appeals court decision in late April which affirms the FCC licensed/unlicensed approach, but which requires the agency to re-evaluate its information about interference. The FCC failed to disclose fully information from studies it relied on in setting rules, which violated public process. The ARRL wrote up the appeals decision on their site, and notes that a study in the UK that was fully released showed a much lower threshold would be needed. The agency’s need to redo some of its work, a potential shift of power to Democrats on the commission starting 20-Jan-2009, and the fact that other work shows the rules were established incorrectly could result in restrictions on BPL that make it even less likely to be rolled out."
Should the Texas PUC let Oncor stop BPL Internet?
5/5/2008, Dallas Morning News -- "Brief synopsis: Current had planned to rent some of the space on its network to Oncor -- which would use it to save power and improve maintenance. The rest of the network, which will eventually cover 2 million area homes, was to be rented to consumers who wanted fast Internet. All that changed when Oncor agreed to buy out Current for $90 million and complete network construction on its own. Oncor will still use the network to improve its operations, but the company has no plans, at present, to sell extra space for consumer Internet. The news lead several of my friends to argue that the Texas Public Utilities Commission should step in to stop the sale."
Broadband over power lines plan is dead in Dallas
5/2/2008, Dallas Morning News -- The Dallas Morning News reported that the ambitious plan to deliver broadband over power lines to 2 million of their customers has been scrapped by a decision to use the BPL system only for utility applications. This also derailed arrangements for DirecTV to provide BPL services to their customers. The equipment that presently passes 64000 homes in Dallas was purchased by Oncor, the involved utility for a reported $90 million.
Dallas BPL already dead?
5/2/2008, Parks Associates -- "Although we were encouraged by the DirecTV/Current/Oncor experiment, we always believed that BPL is a niche technology and it won't be a significant competitor to cable, DSL, and fiber broadband. In the post, we mentioned that we forecasted 0.5% of U.S. broadband households will be using BPL technology by 2012 (and this forecast included the potential subscribers DirecTV might have signed up if the deal had gone through). The current count is only about 10,000 U.S. households. BPL will continue to face challenges and Oncor abandoning their original plan will definitely add salt to injury."
Court tells FCC to revisit BPL rules
5/2/2008, Mobile Radio Technology -- "In a ruling last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in favor of the amateur-radio organization ARRL on two items regarding the FCC’s BPL rules, requiring the agency to disclose the entirety of its BPL field tests cited in the rules and to explain its reasoning for emission-level limits. . . Although the ARRL noted that Ofcom—the United Kingdom’s regulatory agency—had conducted three studies indicating that 20 dB per decade would be an accurate measure, the FCC dismissed the studies, stating that it was not a “convincing argument” but offered no explanation for its position. . . The FCC can appeal the ruling to the full circuit court or to the Supreme Court. If it declines to appeal, the agency must revisit emission-level extrapolation issue, either providing reasoned justification for the 40 dB-per-decade factor or establish a new extrapolation factor. . . . If the FCC were to use the 20 dB extrapolation factor advocated by ARRL, it likely would impact the economics to deploy the technology, <Dave> Sumner <ARRL> said. 'Presumably, the power would have to be turned down in these systems, and that might result in reduced reliability, reduced throughput and the need for more hardware to be installed—repeaters at closer intervals along the line,' Sumner said. 'So we anticipate that the industry is going to strongly resist a revised extrapolation factor.' Thus far, BPL deployments have not been a significant problem to ARRL, Sumner said. First, with less than 5000 commercial customers nationwide as of the middle of 2007, BPL is not available in many areas. In addition, the most successful BPL technology provider—Current Communications, which has a large deployment in Texas—has worked with ARRL in an effort to ensure that its broadband rollouts do not interfere with amateur-radio operations, he said. 'We’ve had essentially no problems with Current’s deployments,' Sumner said."
Broadband Over Power Line Gets a KO Punch
5/2/2008, Gigacom -- "The great broadband hope, “Broadband over Power Line,” has turned out to be a big broadband nope. Not that I am surprised. I never believed its promise, even despite the incessant hype by none other than the FCC. A court’s decision has proven me right: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit pretty much concludes that the FCC was misguided and overenthusiastic about BPL, and that it ignored the interference data."
Is BPL Down for the Count? Yup, Probably.
5/2/2008, IP Democracy -- "When it comes to communications policy in the U.S., there are two major goals -- either regulate in the absence of competition or spur more competition in order to obviate the need for regulation. That's the main reason why the FCC, led down the primrose path by proponents, glommed onto broadband-over-powerline (BPL) several years back. But BPL, a kludgy technology aimed at squeezing communications-strength capacity out of power lines, is almost DOA in the USA. First, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last week rapped the FCC on the knuckles for failing to take a look at studies that deal with BPL's propensity for interference as it rushed to adopt new rules promoting the competitive alternative. Now, as Karl Bode points out, the biggest BPL advocate, Current Communications (one of the chief primrose path guides) is selling its high-profile Dallas BPL network to local utility Oncor for $90 million. Oncor is going to use the "smart grid" set-up for...electricity. Although cities and utilities are largely responsible for the hype and public policy push surrounding BPL, I say all the idealistic and uninformed research outfits that pumped out study after study saying BPL was the next big thing are equally responsible for the unrealisitic hopes surrounding BPL. Smart people have always know that BPL, although worth investigating, was never going to inject enough competition into the marketplace to give either cable or phone companies a run for their money."
Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) Stumbles
5/2/2008, DSL Reports -- "While the FCC once called broadband over power lines (BPL) the "great broadband hope," the technology has been stuck in neutral, thanks largely to its tendency to interfere with local wireless transmissions, and the fact that many utilities don't want to get into the broadband business. Things have only gotten worse for the struggling sector the last two weeks. . . This week finds the industry's flagship BPL deployment in Dallas, supported by DirecTV and frequently cited as an example of the technology's successes, being sold to the local utility. The network, through which DirecTV and Current Communications hoped to offer BPL service to 2 million residents, will now simply be used for smart-electrical grid monitoring. From the Dallas Morning News: DirecTV has used Current's network to sell broadband over power lines to customers in the first 64,000 homes to be wired for the service. The plan had been to expand the DirecTV service area – and increase the number of BPL retailers – as Current attached networking equipment to more power transformers and expanded the smart grid across the region.
You can't say we didn't warn you. BPL is a niche solution with problems, not a third major competitive pipe."
Appeals Court Wants Better Reasoning on BPL
5/2/2008, Radio World -- "A federal appeals court has sided in part with ham radio operators who challenged FCC rules establishing the broadband over power lines (BPL) service, according to the American Radio Relay League. The decision sends the rules back to the commission to defend how it arrived at some of its conclusions and publicize its related studies. But the court didn’t overturn the BPL service rules, which remain in effect. The ARRL said the ruling is significant in that it could lead to changes in the rules and in the way some BPL companies operate. The FCC had no comment on the decision. At issue when the FCC instituted BPL service rules nearly two years ago was the question of whether BPL operation could interfere with amateur radio frequencies. The commission wanted to create BPL as a “third” broadband pipe into homes. We reported at the time the ARRL opposed the BPL service rules as created, citing interference concerns. The AARL <sic> later sued the agency, saying the rules were not enough to prevent harmful interference to ham frequencies."
Recent NTIA Data on Broadband Penetration May Be Flawed
2/7/2008, WiMax.com -- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration recently released a report on Broadband in America in which it cites that 99 percent of the nation's zip codes have broadband available. ---the problem is this conclusion may be very flawed.
CIA says hackers pulled plug on power grid
1/23/2008, Network World -- "Criminals have been able to hack into computer systems via the Internet and cut power to several cities, a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency analyst said this week. Speaking at a conference of security professionals on Wednesday, CIA analyst Tom Donahue disclosed the recently declassified attacks while offering few specifics on what actually went wrong. "
Broadband over Power Lines - Alternative or Trouble?
12/2007, Conformity Magazine -- Many home offices are setting up local networks using either wireless or wired technology. However, depending on where you live, there may be a third alternative: AC wires, the electrical wires that are already inside the home and office walls.
Designing the Utility of the Future: Duke Energy Takes a Holistic View of Distribution
12/1/2007, Utility Automation & Engineering T&D -- "Matt Smith, Duke Energy’s director of technology development and director of the company’s Utility of the Future initiative, says a recent media report that the utility is abandoning efforts in broadband over powerline (BPL) communications technology isn’t entirely accurate. He said BPL as a communications medium, though not without its shortcomings, is still in the mix as the company looks to build a broad network of intelligent devices throughout its distribution system.
Tasmanian BPL Trial Scrapped
12/9/2007, DSL Reports -- "Tasmanian energy supplier Aurora Energy was boasting about the amazing powers of BPL back in March but rather quietly scrapped the $2 million trial at the end of last month. Much of the opposition to the trial came from the Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania which details that opposition here. However, Aurora claims that their opposition was irrelevant in the decision to scrap the project. CEO Peter Davis says that he stands by his original support of the trial but that changes in both the market and technology have changed since the project began, making it a less than viable system."
Aurora defends dumping BPL trial
12/6/2007, ABC News -- After having dropped it plans to deploy BPL in Tasmania, Aurora Energy is put on the defensive about the timing of its news release. The company's chairman John Hasker says they announced the decision to end the trial as soon as they became aware it was no longer viable.
Aussie telcos 'looking into powerline broadband'
10/31/2007, ZDNet Australia -- "Australian telcos are seriously looking at broadband over powerline (BPL), according to vendor NEC -- but interference and regulatory issues are still haunting the technology. . . Despite a number of BPL trials undertaken by Australian energy companies Norton added that those showing an interest in broadband over powerline are telcos rather than utilities. 'The utility types are still struggling with the business model and with government policy,' he said. As well as regulatory concerns, questions remain on interference. "The interference issue still needs to be sorted. We're dealing quite closely with ACMA (the Australian Communications and Media Authority) on that," Norton noted.
HomePlug claims victory in standards fray
10/25/2006, EEtimes -- "The HomePlug Alliance is claiming victory in a decision that could force all sides to respin powerline networking chips for a standard that could be set as early as March. But rival Design of Systems on Silicon, S.A. (DS2) whose technology was not chosen said it will demonstrate in November chips that double today's throughout and claims warring parties are still holding private discussions on a compromise."
Austin Energy Completes Year-Long BPL Trial
10/18/2007, Austin Startup -- "Austin Energy recently completed a year-long trial of broadband-over-power-lines (or BPL), to evaluate the performance and cost of this still nascent technology. If you had driven anywhere around the area of 6th street and Comal, you would have seen some interesting boxes hanging off the power poles/lines that were part of the broadband equipment. The preliminary conclusion? Too expensive. 'Guesstimates' are that the cost to serve a 200-block square area would be approx $300,000. Compared to a roughly comparable cost to throw up a microwave tower and service a 5-mile radius area, and the economics of BPL are just not there yet: at least for Austin."
What does Duke Energy "moving away' from BPL mean?
10/9/2007, BPL Today -- In follow-up to an article in Electric Utility Week (not available on line), Duke Power and Ambient both clarified their positions with respect to the Ambient BPL Deployment in Charlotte, NC.
NATO Group Releases Report on BPL
9/7/2007, Broadband Reports -- The Information Systems Technology group, part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Research and Technology Organization, has released a new report on the negative impact of broadband over powerlines (BPL) on amateur and emergency radio operations. The ARRL's Ed Hare says the report "pretty much echoes the ARRL's pleadings during the BPL rulemaking."
What Is BPL Internet Access (Broadband Over Power Lines)
8/15/2007, ProCOM -- BPL seems, at first glance, to offer benefits relative to regular cable or DSL connections: the extensive infrastructure already available would appear to allow people in remote locations to have access to the Internet with relatively little equipment investment by the utility. However, variations in the physical characteristics of the electricity network and the current lack of IEEE standards mean that provisioning of the service is far from being a standardized, repeatable process.
Broadband over power lines revenue will skyrocket over next six years
6/24/2007, The Frederick News-Post -- Global revenue from broadband over power lines will climb from $57.1 million last year to $4.95 billion in revenue in 2013, according to a study released by market research company, Telecom Trends International Inc.
Power lines to channel broadband internet
6/20/2007, Business Daily Africa -- Office and home power-lines could soon be channelling broadband Internet as well as electricity with a new technology aimed at connecting more Kenyans to high tech communications.
Government looks at BPL possibilities
6/15/2007, Wireless Federation -- Ecuador’s government has signed agreements with two electricity utilities, Centrosur and Empresa Eléctrica Quito, to study the feasibility of offering broadband over power lines (BPL) services, reports BNamericas, quoting an official statement.
GTS starting to roll out Broadband services
6/11/2007, MyBroadband -- Goal Technology Solutions (GTS) has started to roll out its broadband over power lines (BPL) services in various locations around the country, but is struggling with municipalities dragging their feet.
PPL Gets out of Broadband Business
5/2/2007, The Morning Call -- PPL announced that is was divesting itself of its broadband business. Its foray into broadband cost PPL $16M.
BPL: Deployment Challenges on Overhead MV Distribution Networks
4/2007, Utility Automation -- (Pg. 38) This article by IBM staff discusses the unique challanges of placing broadband HF currents onto noisy MV power lines. Realistic data rates are presented along with a good discussion of attenuation and "noise" sources like other RF equipment and arcing. Line maintenance, device spacing and differential coupling are all mentioned as techniques for mitigation of these effects.
Sweden: Power line communications lacked stability
3/23/2007, Computer Sweden -- The original article is written in Swedish, but this is a synopsis in English as posted on the BPLand HamRadio list at Yahoogroups.com: "Swedish electricity R&D company Elforsk has presented a report on broadband power line communications (PLC) trials in Sweden. Extensive testing found that while the technology worked and customers were satisfied, it was insufficiently stable. The technology was also more expensive to install than ADSL. Elforsk is owned jointly by Swedenergy (Svensk Energi) and the Swedish National Grid ( Svenska Kraftnät)."
Broadband over powerline is ready to explode
3/1/2007, Computer World -- This article is mainly focused on utility applications for BPL. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, offers comments in the discussion forum associated with the article. So far, the BPL "explosion" has resulted in BPL enjoying 0.008% of the broadband lines in the US, according to the last FCC broadband report.
Measurements and Calculations of BPL Emissions
9/1/2006, Conformity -- See page 12 ff. This article is a reprint from a peer-reviewed paper that ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, presented at the 2005 IEEE EMC Society Symposium in Chicago, IL. It discusses ARRL's findings with BPL, its radiated emissions and interference. The paper also candidly discusses some of ARRL's analyses of BPL-measurement test results made by the BPL industry. The information was current as of the date of publication in 2005.
BPL Article series in Computing Unplugged
8/1/2006, Computing Unplugged -- This series of articles included interviews with representatives from BPL manufacturers and radiocommunications users. Although there was a bump or two along the way, overall, the series is a fair and balanced reporting of the status of BPL in late 2006.
Potential threats to radio services from PLT systems
7/1/2006, EBU Technical Review -- By Jonathan Stott, British Broadcasting Corporation. This article describes in detail the technical reasons why BPL/PLC as presently configured poses a serious risk of harmful interference to the reception of international shortwave broadcasts.
Powerline promises broken on broadband
May 22, 2006, Telephony Online -- "'[BPL] is one of the only technologies that's been the same for the last four, five, six years,' said Nicole Klein, an analyst at Yankee Group. Even the introduction of new, speedier chipsets seems 'kind of like a shoulder shrug,' she said. . . . Just by staying alive, ComTek's and Current's deployments stand out as sterling successes in a sector littered with abandoned BPL trials, Klein said. Plenty of BPL projects have turned out like the one begun in Penn Yan, N.Y., in 2003, which was rejected in 2004 because of security and interference concerns and replaced with a trial of wireless mesh technology. . . . But BPL proponents seemed to have learned their lesson. No matter how optimistic they might be, no one is willing to call 2006 'the year of BPL.'"
Priority Interrupt (column): Without an Annoying Buzz
5/1/2006, Circuit Cellar magazine -- "Of course, like any new technology, there are two sides to the coin. Yes, you can piggyback the high-frequency Internet communication signals on the power line and turn every power company into an instant ISP. Unfortunately, the obvious consequence of putting high-frequency signals on top of an uninsulated and unshielded wire meant for 60-Hz power makes it radiate like a giant antenna. . . . EMI from the BPL-enabled medium voltage lines that link electric power substations is the major source of interference."
Utilities Speak Out
4/5/2006, Fortnightly.com -- "Initial rollouts of BPL have slowed, if not stalled, but utilities continue to explore the possibilities for providing new services to customers. Now NARUC, in its Report of the Broadband Over Power Lines Task Force, and an accompanying survey conducted by EPRI Solutions, explores several utilities' responses to BPL, as well as the attraction to, and hindrances toward, implementing the technology. . . The use of BPL for internal utility applications to bolster the grid has delivered mixed results, at best, in terms of cost and benefits. According to an EPRI report still being finalized, BPL's 'smart grid' applications rank near the bottom of the list of eight other competing technologies. Based on 11 separate criteria, 'BPL ranked eighth out of the nine [wide-area network] technologies considered,' pulling 'particularly low marks on standardization and use of object modeling.' . . . Fundamental questions about the technology itself linger for larger utilities. First Energy 'commented that it is still not clear that BPL technologies live up to their hype,' while Con Edison cited 'credibility issues' with BPL. Even Cinergy acknowledged a 'significant problem' in integrating BPL with electricity meters. Nevertheless, the company 'believes that by installing BPL for current utility applications (even if another technology could perform equally well) utilities gain the advantage of extra bandwidth that will be useful in the future for more advanced utility applications (such as Intelligrid or Smart Grid applications).'"
Powerline Telco Completes NRECA BPL Trial
4/4/2006, BPL Today -- Noting that the BPL trial done by Powerline Telco for the NRECA in Maryland showed that BPL worked well, the article then goes on to explain why unanticipated costs and other factors resulted in a decision not to deploy BPL.
Broadband over power line’s ham radio problem- and vice versa
3/20/2006, ZDNet -- "We hear lots of praise of how Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology holds promise as a route for signals into the home that can get around the cable-telecom duopoly. And how BPL can also be a conduit for broadband in rural areas that are too far from switching offices for DSL to work right, and haven’t been wired up for broadband cable. Like so many other magic bullets, though, this solution proves too good to be true much of the time."
Net over power lines irks amateur radio lovers
3/19/2006, USA Today (AP) -- "George Tarnovsky can hear the Internet as he drives down Main Street in Manassas, Va., a rapid rattle emanating from the ham radio in his Chevy Tahoe. 'Suddenly you hear this incredible signal,' Tarnovsky said. The radio interference, which can resemble rapid clicks or the whine of a phone-line modem, comes from a system that provides high-speed Internet access to about 1,000 Manassas customers through their power lines. 'The interference makes ham radio all but impossible in the Washington, D.C., suburb, Tarnovsky said."
IdaCorp subsidiary pulls out of BPL business
1/27/2006, Idaho Statesman -- "IdaComm, a telecommunications subsidiary of Boise-based IdaCorp Inc., is getting out of the broadband over power line business, the company said. . .The company has abandoned BPL after seeing that electric utilities were not immediately embracing the technology, Jan B. Packwood, IdaCorp's chief executive officer, said in a statement. 'It's a smart decision if indeed the BPL business cannot become profitable in any reasonable amount of time," said James Bellessa, an analyst with D.A. Davidson & Co.'"
Shock Radio for BPL Firm
1/12/2006, RedHerring.com -- Broadband over power lines provider responds to ham radio group’s calls for a system shutdown. "'The Manassas system should be shut down if they can’t get it fixed,” said AARL (sic) spokesperson Allen Pitts. “It’s unfortunate for ComTek that in their hurry they went with an early BPL design that causes problems.' According to Mr. Pitts, the Manassas system should be taken off the air for reconfiguration and re-engineering, and if it cannot be fixed it should be discontinued. ComTek Vice President Walt Adams countered that his company has operated the system “with virtually no hitches to date. . . . The opposition from these almost entirely non-Manassas individuals and their national organization appears to be grounded in a fundamental opposition to BPL rather than any hard facts,' said Mr. Adams. Note: A report of the present status of the BPL system in Manassas was compiled by Manassas-area licensed Amateurs: . In recent articles, ARRL has been generally supportive of BPL systems and operators whose design does not cause major interference problems. See It Seems to Us: Better BPL?
Problems at Home - Exchange magazine
1/1/2006, xchange magazine -- While addressing how to get broadband around inside the home, with BPL only part of the equation, the author is not kind to BPL. "Problems With Power: Every TV or IP-enabled multimedia device requires power. So it makes sense that running IP over power would be both convenient and cost effective. It is, but there's a catch. The powerline infrastructure within homes was designed to deliver power, not digital multimedia content. While many new products are boasting theoretical bandwidth speeds of up to 200mbps, tests have shown much lower usable bandwidth rates. This occurs particularly when signals are attenuated by circuit breakers or when there is heavy power consumption by other devices. In short, pushing data through the power infrastructure introduces a unique set of challenges that powerline as a technology has not presently solved. They include ..."
Riding the sine wave: Broadband data hitches a ride with an unlikely carrier
11/10/2005, Electronic Design News -- This article may be the definitive BPL article that best describes the systems and their present status. "Proponents of BPL (broadband-over-power-line) technology insist that the best wires for the last mile were strung and connected long ago. But BPL still faces technical hurdles, a potentially nasty standards fight, and angry amateur-radio operators. . . With BPL rolling out, however, ham operators around the world are the leading voices of dissent, because some BPL installations interfere with ham operations. There is no question that BPL systems emit energy that acts as interference to radio communications. The overhead power lines are unshielded and cover a lot of geography--especially when a utility runs data along MV lines. Some in the BPL industry have characterized the ham operators as lunatics with nothing better to do than complain. Some of these "lunatics" claim that the BPL industry will interfere with emergency communications, leading to catastrophe. Others argue that the technology ultimately lacks the capacity to serve the stated goals of voice, data, and video. Fortunately, there are some reasonable people on both sides of the issue. The National Association for Amateur Radio represents the ham operators. The group still uses the acronym ARRL (American Radio Relay League) from its legacy group. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare has been involved with testing BPL systems and has worked with the HPA group and companies such as Motorola to try to make BPL work. Hare states, 'My goal is to help BPL succeed. Not all BPL systems will cause interference.'"
Web extra: Broadband over power lines not suited for rural areas
10/17-2005, FCW.com -- "Alan Shark, executive director of Public Technology, a technology organization that works with several cities and counties, said he is a fan of ham radio operators. But their complaints that BPL technology causes significant interference are misguided, he said. ... <Walter Adams, a Communication Technologies vice president,> said the FCC offers a prescriptive mandate that states that BPL technology should not harmfully interfere with ham radios. 'It's not a question of whether BPL interferes with ham radios. It does,' he said. 'But then again so does your garage door opener, so does your diesel engine or your car. It's a question of how harmful it is in terms of how loud it is and how much interference' it causes." ARRL Note: None of these devices operate for 24 hours a day with interference stretching along over a kilometer of overhead power line from each injection point. ARRL does not have a single case of interference on file that shows a garage-door opener causing harmful interference to the Amateur Radio Service.
BPL Gives Short Shrift to Short Wave
July 1, 2005, Compliance Engineering magazine -- This article outlines the reasons that some BPL technologies have not effectively addressed their interference issues, as well as outlining the successes of others. The final sentences summarize the need best: "The time to address these interference problems is now, when there are still relatively few commercial sites. FCC must keep its promise that offending systems will be required to resolve interference issues."
Review of FCC Report & Order 04-245 on Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL)
7/29/2005, Conformity Magazine -- This article is an excellent tutorial about BPL and the requirements of the FCC report and order. It outlines the spectrum that must be protected under the rules and additional spectrum that will need to be protected to meet the rules requiring that BPL not cause harmful interference.
Measuring The Costs Of Broadband Services
July 1, 2005, Microwaves and RF -- The editor of Microwaves and RF accompanied ARRL staff to the Amperion BPL site operated by United Illuminating in Shelton, CT. He documented strong interference to amateur and shortwave spectrum along the entire length of power line in downtown Shelton, and beyond. Any claims by the BPL industry that interference is an old problem were debunked by this well-respected technical publication. The article concludes by noting the value of BPL, but being clear that resolving interference is important to its future.
Megabits per Second on 50 Hz Power Lines?
The reason for the removal of the RegTP field trial license, based on numerous protests, is that Digital Power Line Communications (PLC) is trying to increase the speed of data rates into the Megabits per seconds range. Therefore the short wave band of up to 30 MHz will be transmitted over the low voltage distribution network. The recent history of PLC in Germany together with the standardization and measurement procedures used are given. Public opinion in Germany and technological alternatives to PLC like ADSL and wireless communications with low power are discussed and explained. The present approach of the remaining PLC consortia and their attempt to introduce the PLC technology nation wide is questionable. Author: Diethard Hansen, EURO EMC SERVICE (EES)
Broadband Reports articles about BPL
Broadband Reports regularly runs articles about BPL. They permit discussion of their articles, and ARRL staff are regular contributors.
Broadband Over Power Line World
This site, no longer in publication, contains a number of news stories and audio interviews with various people in the BPL industry.
