In "Universal Broadband and/or Bust," I was disappointed to see Rob Preston include powerline technology in the broadband-distribution mix.
Radio amateurs like me have nothing against broadband per se. On the contrary, we tend to be early adopters of new technology. But we oppose systems that wreak havoc on radio communication by polluting the airwave spectrum.
BPL (Broadband over Power Line) does just that. Delivering Internet service over medium-voltage power lines, BPL systems generally operate in the 1.7-MHz to 80-MHz frequency range--a range shared by a host of radio systems, including those used by the Amateur Radio Service, international broadcasters, aeronautical and maritime personnel, the military, and police and fire departments.
Overhead electrical power lines and residential wiring act as antennas that unintentionally radiate the broadband signals as radio signals along roads and throughout neighborhoods. Interference has been observed as far as a mile away from the nearest BPL source.
I favor making broadband accessible to all Americans, but BPL isn't the way to go. Cable, DSL, fiber-to-the-home and wireless offer ways of achieving that goal without interfering with radio.
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