BPL is official.
     FCC today made final its amendments to Part 15 to regulate access BPL (as compared with the in home network version) setting limits on frequencies and putting in place methods for handling interference with radio users.
     Fast turnaround on the rulemaking was meant to quickly create the regulatory clarity the fledgling industry needs to win investment and catch hold.
     To that end, the commission created "a minimal regulatory framework for BPL," to advance Congress' goal of keeping the rules pro competitive and FCC's goal of getting broadband to every American, said Chairman Michael Powell.
     FERC Chairman Pat Wood was at the meeting with FERC Commissioners Nora Brownell and Suedeen Kelly an unprecedented appearance and cooperation between commissions that's symbolic of the two worlds that BPL bridges and the vital roles the new technology can play in each.
     Having a smart grid one with broadband present throughout will help power systems operate more efficiently and reliably, said Wood.
     He called Brownell FERC's tech guru and added that she and FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy had talked about "synergies" between the two commissions relating to BPL.
     BPL's security benefits and added "real reliability" more than offset the cost of the upgrade, noted Brownell, and offer broadband revenue at no extra charge.
     The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) did extensive research and worked closely with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) to make sure the rules answered the latter's concerns, said Powell.
     Wood and Brownell joined Powell Tuesday at the Manassas, Va BPL deployment to witness the technology in action.
     They chatted with one of the residents who was amazed at the easy installation just like plugging in any appliance, he said several times and Powell made a free VOIP call on the resident's phone.
     Powell and Wood released a joint statement that listed the benefits of broadband in economic, educational, social, medical and cultural welfare to the country.
     The benefit of adding BPL as a broadband competitor could be seen in how Comcast reacted to the BPL roll out by COMTek in Manassas. It dropped its price considerably, noted Powell during the meeting.
     The final wording of the rule wasn't released but OET's Bruce Franca told BPL Today that 99.9% of the wording has been approved and the commissioners just need to sign off on a few minor changes before the rule's released.
     UPLC's Brett Kilbourne was encouraged by the rule and expects the final wording to be a workable compromise.
     Kilbourne is UPLC's director of regulatory services and associate counsel. The final version refers to bands of exclusion frequencies that BPL equipment has to avoid, he noted.
     An important change from the proposed version is having equipment makers get FCC certification for each BPL device and recertification if the design of a device changes.
     To date BPL makers had to have test results on file showing compliance with FCC interference limits.
     The new rules have an administrative procedure for getting certification plus a transition period so that equipment in the field can keep operating while it gets certified, noted Franca at a press briefing after the meeting.
     The new rule makes Part 15 "more conservative" to address interference issues, Franca added.
     When interference occurs it's often with amateur radio operators who have charged in many FCC filings that notching doesn't work and that even the slightest interference can make it impossible for them to have conversations over very faint signals with other users around the world.
     The commission will use a reasonable definition of what's "harmful," noted Franca.
     The rule includes a call for an industry maintained database of BPL deployments to guide those who get interference to possible sources nearby for quick resolution.
     In cases where interference isn't resolved, the commission is prepared to act quickly according to the new rules.
     One source of concern is state notification, UTC CEO Bill Moroney told BPL Today, requiring utilities to notify the state PUC before deploying BPL.
     He's holding judgment until the final wording is released.
     If notification is made public, he would expect cable and DSL competitors to change their marketing strategies in the target area before the BPL could even be deployed.
     Those two technologies don't have to report their own movements and creating a competitive disadvantage for BPL would be counterproductive, he added.
     Watch for Monday's issue of BPL Today for the rest of our interview with Moroney plus reactions from industry leaders, much more detail on the final rule and much more about the historic trip to Manassas.
     Here's a tid bit:  Manassas plans to make its traffic stoplights IP enabled and, in tandem with IP enabled surveillance cameras at intersections monitor traffic flows and manage them by tweaking the traffic light patterns. That's just one of countless innovations expected once the power wires carry IP.

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