.FLYINGHEAD FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
.TITLE Why are we giving BPL all this coverage?
.AUTHOR David Gewirtz
.SUMMARY By now, everyone who regularly reads Computing Unplugged has noticed that our summer editorial has been devoted to a single topic. We’ve been devoting our article-level coverage to a single, apparently obscure topic called broadband-over-powerline, otherwise known as BPL. Why? In this article, Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz explains why this issue is important for us all to understand.
.DEPT
By now, everyone who regularly reads Computing Unplugged has noticed that our summer editorial schedule has been devoted to a single topic. We’ve been devoting our article-level coverage to a single, apparently obscure topic called broadband-over-powerline, otherwise known as BPL.
Normally, in Computing Unplugged, you’ll see coverage of everything from PDAs to robots, WiFi to hi-fi. But this summer, we’ve run article after article on BPL. It’s not that big a topic. So why are we giving it so much space?
.H1 When readers speak, we listen
The answer to that question has a number of elements. First, we’re giving it so much more coverage because so many of you asked us to. Computing Unplugged readers are a very special bunch. On a yearly basis, we reach more readers than Fortune and Vogue. Many of you are technology enthusiasts. Many more of you are not only enthusiasts, but towering experts as well. When we run some editorial that generates a blistering response from our readers, we listen.
.CALLOUT … willing to look at, and print, both sides. Fair reporting at its best.
When we first ran our interview a few weeks ago with Chano Gomez on BPL, we got a firestorm of reader response. You informed us that there was a very big controversy in an area we didn’t know had any problems at all. At first, we got the usual crackpot letters. But then, as a few hours passed, we got long, well-considered, and extremely detailed letters educating us on the debate.
There is, without a doubt, a debate. On one side seem to be the ham radio operators, who are nearly all radio frequency technical experts as well as hobbyists. On the other side is the BPL industry, presenting offerings that could be very important to developing countries and helpful to those of us in the U.S.
The hams say BPL can both damage the radio spectrum and be damaged by it. The industry reps we’ve talked to say that was old tech — the new stuff is better. As you’ll see in our continuing coverage over the next few weeks, we honestly can’t tell whether BPL is a good thing, or something that should be stopped in its tracks.
.TEASER Learn more. What are the worrisome details we found in the FCC report? Where’s the money behind the each side? What do you need to know? Tap here to read on.
.H1 Worrisome items in the pages of an FCC report
In researching this, we found FCC 04-245, a Federal Communications Commission Report and Order, which had some encouraging things to say about the safety of BPL. But in the pages of the Report and Order were some curiously worrisome items as well. For example, the Society of Broadcast Engineers asserts that BPL operations could adversely affect Emergency Alert System (EAS) transmissions.
The National Antenna Consortium has suggested that the FCC establish BPL-free zones in which BPL would not be permitted within 20 miles of airports and antennas for ground-to-air communications and military bases, and within two miles of hospitals, police stations, and fire stations.
The International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA), which operates radio call boxes used by the public to call for fire, police, ambulance, road service or other assistance, submit that there are public safety systems that must be protected from harmful interference.
Global2Way Acquisition, LLC, which operates a low power communications service for intra/interstate trucking companies on HF frequencies under secondary licenses, asks that that the FCC proceed carefully on Access BPL, balancing the laudable goal of providing new services against the potential harm to existing services.
And, of course, the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) has gone on a high-powered offensive against BPL. Next week, we’ll run a detailed commentary from the ARRL’s chief engineer containing his reasoning.
.H1 Follow the money
We’re still trying to figure this one out. From all we know of the FCC and their desire to protect the radio spectrum, I have some trouble accepting the claims of the ham operators. It seems to me that it’s likely to have been doubtful that the FCC would approve this technology if it was broadcasting as intensely as the hams claim.
Whenever there’s a dispute this strong, I always look to where the money interests are. We know where the interests of the BPL advocates are. After all, they have chips, equipment, and services to sell. They have a clean, apparent reason for pushing their agenda.
I’m not so sure about the ARRL. The ARRL is a membership organization, but it’s also a very well-connected political organization as well. How many of the ham radio operators who contacted us experienced problems on their own and how many just read the lobbying documents provided by the ARRL in the organization’s magazine?
Who’s funding the ARRL? Do the cable providers and DSL providers have an interest in this debate? After all, BPL is a direct competitor to cable modems and DSL services. Or is this truly the case of one technology interfering with another?
Frankly, if it were just ham radio operators unable to play with their toys, this debate would be a non-issue. Ham radio is really a technology of the 20th Century. It was exciting back then when you couldn’t call any country easily except with a ham radio. It was exciting when you couldn’t talk to anyone when they were out and about unless they had an operator’s license.
But today, we have cell phones and Skype. We can talk to anyone, anywhere. And we can reach people all over the world merely for the cost of sustaining a broadband connection. Technology that can deliver broadband is, in Computing Unplugged’s opinion, more valuable than ham radio as a hobby.
But radio, especially when used as an emergency response tool (and this very definitely includes ham radio), is critically important. As is quality broadband. The debate, thusfar, hits both of these issues. Detractors say that BPL interferes with emergency radio, and that any old baby monitor can cause your BPL broadband signal to drop as well.
.H1 What you need to know
As I stated above, we don’t know how this will shake down. We’re exploring a technology that will either bring important communications resources to people who need it — or badly damage our emergency services infrastructure. This is stuff you need to know about.
Bill South sent me a very gratifying email that said, "Thanks again for the opportunity for a different perspective to be heard on the BPL issue. Yours is the first publication willing to look at, and print, both sides. Fair reporting at its best."
As Bill said, we’re presenting a fair view of BPL. We’re not trying to tell you how to think about this issue. Frankly, we’re not even sure. But the reason we’re devoting so much editorial space to this issue is that it’s pretty important. It’s something you need to know — and you need to hear all sides of the debate.
When making the decision to devote this much editorial space, we looked around for other impartial coverage and, to our amazement, found none. We found some very pro-BPL discussions and some very anti-BPL discussions. But nowhere did we find a detailed discussion of both sides of the issue. So, that’s what we’ve set out to provide.
After all, when friends, bosses, politicians, and even military leaders need technical advice, they often turn to Computing Unplugged and our readers. By the time we’re done covering this topic, you’ll have the information you need to give well considered opinions, advice, and answers.
Don’t worry though — we’ve got great coverage on other topics planned. We’ve got an in-depth review of the Treo 700p coming up, a detailed discussion about a digital "grab kit" for hurricane preparedness, some very cool tools for tweaking out your goodies, and far more.
Stay tuned, learn, and talk about this stuff. You’re likely to know more about it than anyone else in your communities — and there may come a time when that knowledge will be critically important.
.BIO
