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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Inquiry  Regarding  Carrier  Current  Systems,  including  Broadband  over  Power  Line  Systems;  ET  Docket  No.  03-  XXX 
 Broadband  over  Power  Line  has  the  potential  to  provide  consumers  with  a  ubiquitous  third  broadband  pipe  to  the  home.  The  development  of  multiple  broadband-capable 
 platforms  –  be  it  power  lines,  Wi-  Fi,  satellite,  laser  or  licensed  wireless  –  will  transform  the  competitive  broadband  landscape  and  reap  dramatic  windfalls  for  American 
 consumers  and  the  economy.  Broadband  over  power  lines  is  at  the  cutting  edge  of  this  dramatic  digital  migration  that  will  continue  to  free  applications  (e.  g.,  voice,  data,  and 
 video)  from  the  regulatory  and  technological  shackles  that  have  tied  them  to  specific  platforms  (e.  g.,  voice  to  copper  and  video  to  coaxial  cable).  While  this  migration  is  well 
 under  way,  our  policies  must  be  dynamic  and  flexible  to  further  –  rather  than  frustrate  –  the  transition. 


 Facilitating  the  development  of  new  facilities-  based  platforms  must  be  among  our  core  goals.  The  current  wireless  industry  illustrates  the  tremendous  power  of  multiple 
 facilities-  based  providers  to  foster  innovation,  promote  ubiquity,  increase  competition  and  drive  down  prices.  Wireless  achieved  these  successes  because  the  FCC  employed  a 
 relatively  light  regulatory  hand  and  licensed  multiple  providers  in  each  market  who  built  their  own  facilities  to  deliver  value  to  consumers.  Power  lines  and  other  new  platforms 
 can  deliver  the  same  value  in  the  broadband  market. 
 As  I  recently  witnessed  first  hand  at  a  local  site  visit,  the  potential  of  this  new  technology  is  immense.  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. 
 For  our  nation’s  power  utilities,  Broadband  over  power  lines  can  improve  the  utilities’  ability  to  manage  their  electric  grids  through  applications  like  remote  power  outage 
 notification,  load  management  to  reduce  peak  power  usage,  load  balancing,  and  remote  meter  reading.  Power  line  technology  also  provides  for  useful  redundancy  and  diversity 
 in  communications  networks  that  are  key  aspects  of  secure  homeland  communications. 
 Power  line  networks  are  being  tested  today  in  a  dozen  states  around  the  country  and  are  a  testament  to  the  incredible  innovations  taking  place  in  broadband  network 
 technologies.  Today’s  notice  explores  ways  to  update  our  rules  to  ensure  that  regulatory  uncertainty  does  not  in  any  way  hinder  the  deployment  of  these  new  services.  Ultimately 
 it  will  be  for  the  marketplace  to  decide  how  broadband  over  power  lines  fits  into  tomorrow’s  competitive  telecommunications  landscape,  but  we  welcome  them  to  the 
 frontier  of  the  digital  migration. 
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