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KA9LCF > NEWS 25.08.12 00:38l 80 Lines 3267 Bytes #999 (0) @ ALLIN
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Subj: ARN: The BPL War
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Sent: 120824/2115Z 38224@KA9LCF.#NEIN.IN.USA.NOAM [169310]FBB7.01.35 alpha $:38
From: KA9LCF@KA9LCF.#NEIN.IN.USA.NOAM
To : NEWS@ALLIN
THE BPL WAR: EU VS RSGB OVER BPL STANDARD
A battle appears to be brewing between the Radio Society of
Great Britain and the chairman of the European Union
Committee. This after the latter attacked the RSGB's call
to arms in the battle against Powerline Transmission radio
pollution. A technology better known as Broadband Over
Powerline here in the United States. Amateur Radio
Newsline's Norm Seeley, KI7UP,has more:
--
The chairman of the European Union committee on Powerline
Networking has responded to the Radio Society of Great
Britain's call to arms, claiming that every minute of
filibustering pollutes the radio spectrum more.
According to the UK newspaper the Register, the Radio
Society of Great Britain says that the new standard for
broadband powerline transmission, will water down existing
requirements. This it says will open the way to greater
spectrum pollution. As such, the RSGB has asked members to
lobby their local representatives.
But Ronald Storrs, Chair of the committee defining the
standard refutes that. He claims that it is the RSGB that
is risking the airwaves with - and we quote" "their
pointless protests and inflexible attitude."
The problem is that sending data signals over unshielded
mains wiring, as Broadband Over Powerline transmissions does
generates radio interference. And as the manufacturers push
to increase speeds that interference is spreading into the
frequencies used by other radio services. That, says the
RSGB, is unacceptable.
But BPL or PLT equipment manufacturers have a totally
different view. They say that the devices don't generate
significant interference. Rather it's the mains wiring is
the culprit. The manufacturers also contend that in many
homes the wiring is sufficiently shielded that no
interference is generated. As such they will continue to
sell their devices legally.
Meantime UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom has taken a
back seat in this matter. It says that it can't do anything
as the devices themselves aren't radio transmitters so fall
outside their purview. Ofcom says it's waiting for the new
standard to be enacted which will give it some authority to
regulate Broadband over Powerline technology.
So it appears that a proverbial line has been drawn in the
sand between the UK ham radio community represented by the
Radio Society of Great Britain and those who want to sell
Broadband Over Powerline or PLT gear. And while the
European Union's Storrs agrees that BPL is generating
unacceptable interference, he says that every day there
isn't an applicable standard in place more unrestricted gear
is getting into the marketplace. He adds that the
intransigence of United Kingdom's ham radio community isn't
helping.
For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Norm Seeley, KI7UP, in
Scottsdale, Arizona.
--
According to Storrs, the manufacturers of this equipment are
dead set against the proposed new standard. He also notes
that the new standard already has the support of the
International Amateur Radio Union and that this leaves the
UK hams standing alone against the European Union. You can
read the entire Register article on-line at tinyurl.com/UK-
PLT-Fight (Southgate, The Register)
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