ARRL, FCC MEET IN WASHINGTON TO DISCUSS BPL REMAND

[andre kesteloot]

==> ARRL, FCC MEET IN WASHINGTON TO DISCUSS BPL REMAND 

On July 9, ARRL officials -- President Joel Harrison, W5ZN; Chief
Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, and General Counsel Chris Imlay,
W3KD -- met with members of the FCC's Office of Engineering and
Technology to discuss the recent US Court of Appeals decision regarding
broadband over power lines (BPL)
<http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_do
cument=6520033586>. In that case, the Court agreed with the ARRL on two
major points and remanded the rules to the Commission. 

According to Imlay, the meeting was convened to discuss "a possible
regulatory approach" to BPL with the FCC. Suggestions put forth by ARRL
"would address the needs and concerns of Amateur Radio operators in
avoiding harmful interference from [BPL systems] while imposing the
minimum necessary regulatory obligations on BPL deployments." 

The ARRL understands, Imlay said, that "there are at this point rules
that could be adopted which would, at once, (1) protect Amateur Radio
communications from predictable harmful interference from BPL; and (2)
permit broadband over power line systems to operate in the 3 to 80 MHz
range without significant constraint and without substantial redesign or
retroactive build outs."