[CLUE-Talk] FCC Orders Broadcast Flag in TVs by 2005

[BOF]

Sean LeBlanc wrote:

>Really? I wasn't aware of that. Do you have any places to read up on this? I thought it was a viable option for rural areas, but apparently not?
>


This is a very hot item in the HAM radio circles right now because of 
potential interference to the HF radio frequencies from 2 to 80 Mhz 
(which is basically all of them). It appears to be a worthless 
technology that will benefit no one except the makers of the equipment.

This link is an editorial by the ARRL on who benefits from BPL

http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/11/01/1/?nc=1

 From that editorial

"BPL proponents claim to be interested in serving rural areas. The ITU 
has many experts working to bring the benefits of telecommunications to 
rural and under- developed areas. However, the best way to do that is by 
wireless local area networks. Again according to the ITU, "WLANs are an 
effective way to share wireless Internet access from a broadband 
connection within a distance of 100 meters. They are also increasingly 
used to provide broadband access over long distances in rural areas and 
developing nations (using special equipment and technology to boost the 
effective distance of the connection points).... WLAN technologies...are 
easy to install and inexpensive. Many projects around the world are 
looking for ways to use WLAN to bridge the last mile." "


Here is a page with links to various articles from the ARRL site with 
all sort of technical and non-technical information

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

The best summary of the ARRL position is their paper submitted to the 
FCC as a comment, here

http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et03-104/ARRL_BPL_Comments.pdf

Unfortunately, several of the FCC commissioners have spoken favorably of 
BPL without any apparent knowledge of its technical features and utterly 
without regard for their responsiblity of safeguarding amateur radio 
frequencies.

<rant on>
In fact, I compare their concerns as being on the same level as the DOJ 
about the MS settlement, and, in my not so humble opinion, represent a 
gross neglect of their responsibities to the people of the US. Of 
course, this is in keeping with the finest traditions of the rest of the 
Bush administration and today's Congress, where big business is making 
the laws at the expense of the citizens of this republic.
<rant off>

BOF