Subject: [NEXTEL-1] FCC Opens More Spectrum for Public Safety Communications

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 16:30:52 -0400

FCC Opens More Spectrum for Public Safety Communications

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted 5-0 to
open 50 megahertz of spectrum in the 4940-4990 MHz band for use by public
safety agencies. In addition to making it easier for emergency workers from
different jurisdictions communicate with each other, the spectrum can support
such services as monitoring vital signs of rescuers, sending live video images of
emergency scenes to command posts outside the areas, or downloading floor
plans directly to rescuers inside a building. The FCC also voted 5-0 to issue a
Notice of Inquiry seeking public comment on using existing electrical power
lines to provide Internet and broadband service to homes and offices.
Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology may be able to provide an
additional means of "last-mile" delivery of broadband services and may offer a
competitive alternative to digital subscriber lines and cable modem services.
This will also enable access to communications services in rural and remote
areas of the country, the FCC said. In addition, BPL systems can be used by
electric utility companies to more effectively manage their electric power
networks, the commission said. (Source: AP, IDG News Service) -

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FCC Opens More Spectrum for Public Safety Communications
Step has potential to spawn greater competition for DSL, cable modem

By  Grant  Gross  April 23, 2003

  WASHINGTON -- Hailing the step as a "monumental moment," the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) voted Wednesday to solicit public comment on broadband Internet service
delivered over ordinary electric power lines, a step that could create widespread
competition for cable modem and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) services.

The commission voted 5-0 to approve a Notice of Inquiry that would look into several
aspects of broadband over power line, known as BPL at the FCC, including whether power
line broadband could interfere with existing radio frequency spectrum devices. The inquiry
will also look for appropriate measurement procedures for testing emissions, which is what
the FCC calls interference, and whether changes are needed in existing FCC technical rules
to foster the development of BPL.

Commissioners championed BPL as a technology that could help drive down broadband prices
by providing a third broadband choice for U.S. residents, beyond cable modem and DSL
service. Because of the near ubiquity of power lines, BPL could also bring broadband
services to rural areas that may not have other broadband options, commissioners said.

"We could be making some history hear this morning," said commissioner Michael Copps.
"Just catching a glimpse of what this could mean in terms of the great broadband
infrastructure challenge of the 21st century is exciting."

Companies such as Amperion and Current Technologies are already planning to roll out
limited BPL services by later this year, and they are allowed to do so as long as they
stay within current FCC rules on unlicensed radio frequency emissions.

But because new digital power line designs use a large frequency range, unlike most radio
frequency devices, the FCC inquiry will look into whether BPL services could interfere
with everything from garage door openers to police radios, said Joseph Cufari, vice
president of business development for Current Technologies, based in Germantown, Md.
Current Technologies is testing power line broadband in Maryland and Ohio, and other
companies are conducting tests in several other states.

The current FCC rules, last revised in October 2001, don't provide for an accurate way to
measure BPL emissions, Cufari said, because they weren't written with power line broadband
in mind. "It was never thought of," he added.

The inquiry may not dig up any emission problems, said Ed Thomas, chief engineer in the
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, and he declined to guess who might raise
objections about interference. "I don't want to prejudge that," he said to reporters after
the commission meeting. "Our question is not to say there is interference, it's to find
out if there is interference. If anybody has concerns, we want to give them the
opportunity to voice those concerns."

A representative from the US Internet Industry Association didn't return phone calls
seeking comment on power line broadband, but Larry Plumb, spokesman for DSL provider
Verizon Communications, said the company wasn't particularly concerned about competition
from power companies.

"It's an already competitive market," Plumb said. "This shows regulators why it's
important to let supply and demand in the market do their thing."

Last week, Phil Hunt, chairman and chief executive officer of Amperion, told the FCC's
Technological Advisory Council that BPL could deliver data at speeds up to 20M bps (bits
per second), similar to current versions of cable and DSL. While Thomas then questioned
whether BPL could compete with cable and DSL with its late start in the marketplace, on
Wednesday he talked up BPL as a viable alternative.

"Broadband-over-power line systems have the potential of providing the consumer with
another economic broadband access alternative," Thomas told commissioners. "The
competition fostered by additional broadband options should lead to lower prices and new
and innovative services for the American public."

Commission Chairman Michael Powell cheered the arrival of BPL as a "monumental
breakthrough in technology," and predicted several other broadband options, such as fiber
to the home, are on the way. "Broadband over power lines can offer consumers freedom to
access broadband services from any room in their home without need to pay for additional
wiring, by simply plugging an adaptor into an existing electrical outlet," Powell said.

While Powell said he was proud to be a "cheerleader" of power line broadband, Copps urged
the commission start to look at policy issues in addition to technical issues. Copps said
he was concerned about issues such as the implications on rural communications,
right-of-way on power poles, and the potential for price hikes for electricity customers
if vendors' power utilities are subsidizing power line broadband services.

"I believe that the FCC works best when it tackles the tough questions early on," Copps
said. "If we ignore these issues now, we will just be pushing the challenge down the line
for another commission to deal with."

In other action, the FCC voted to establish licensing and service rules for 50MHz of
spectrum in the 4.9GHz band. The rules allow the use of the band only in support of public
safety or domestic security, but allow state and local governments to permit use by
companies supporting security missions. Copps questioned the definition of "supporting
public safety," saying the rules could allow companies to use 51 percent of the spectrum
for public safety support and 49 percent for something else.

http://www.idg.net/crd_idgsearch_0.html?url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/04/23/HNfccseeks_1.html?telecommunications

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