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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202/  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  News  Media  Contact:  February  12,  2004  Lauren  M.  Van  Wazer 
 (202)  418-  0030 
 FCC  PROPOSES  RULES  FOR  BROADBAND  OVER  POWER  LINES  TO  PROMOTE  BROADBAND  SERVICE  TO  UNDERSERVED  AREAS  AND  INCREASE 
 COMPETITION 
 Washington,  DC  -  As  part  of  its  ongoing  efforts  to  promote  access  to  broadband  services  for  all  Americans  and  to  encourage  new  facilities-  based  broadband  platforms,  the  Federal 
 Communications  Commission  today  proposed  changes  to  certain  technical  rules  that  will  foster  broadband  deployment  using  the  significantly  untapped  capabilities  of  the  nation’s  power  grid, 
 while  safeguarding  existing  services  against  harmful  interference. 
 The  Part  15  rule  changes,  proposed  in  a  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking  (Notice),  set  forth  procedures  to  measure  the  radiofrequency  (RF)  energy  emitted  by  equipment  used  to 
 provide  broadband  service  over  power  lines  and  establish  particularized  interference  mitigation  requirements.  By  facilitating  access  to  broadband  over  power  lines  (BPL),  the  Commission 
 takes  an  important  step  toward  increasing  the  availability  of  broadband  in  rural  and  underserved  areas  because  power  lines  reach  virtually  every  home  and  community  in  the  country.  In  areas  in 
 which  consumers  already  have  broadband  access,  BPL  enhances  competition  by  providing  another  broadband  alternative.  These  proposed  changes  will  also  facilitate  the  ability  of  electric 
 utilities  to  dynamically  manage  the  power  grid  itself,  increasing  network  reliability. 
 Specifically,  the  Notice  adopted  by  the  Commission: 
 -  proposes  rules  requiring  BPL  devices  to  employ  adaptive  interference  mitigation  techniques  to  prevent  harmful  interference  to  existing  users,  such  as  public  safety  and 
 amateur  radio  operators.  These  techniques  would  enable  BPL  devices  to  cease  operations  altogether,  dynamically  reduce  transmit  power,  and/  or  avoid  operating  on  specific 
 frequencies  to  prevent  harmful  interference; 
 -  proposes  developing  a  public  database  that  would  include  such  information  as  location,  operational  frequencies,  and  modulation  type  of  BPL  devices,  which  will  facilitate  the 
 resolution  of  interference  issues  in  a  timely  fashion; 
 -  seeks  comment  on  specific  RF  measurement  guidelines  for  BPL  devices  and  other  carrier  current  systems.  These  guidelines  will  ensure  that  emission  measurements  for 
 these  systems  are  made  in  a  consistent  manner.  While  the  Notice  addresses  RF  measurement  guidelines,  it  does  not  propose  any  changes  to  existing  applicable  emission 
 limits. 
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 -  more  -  Notably,  some  electric  utilities  already  use  a  lower  speed  version  of  BPL  technology  to 
 manage  their  internal  networks.  Widespread  deployment  of  BPL  devices  will  afford  these  same  companies  added  benefits  such  as,  remote  power  outage  notification,  load  management  to  reduce 
 peak  power  usage,  improved  load  balancing,  and  remote  meter  reading  capabilities. 


 Action  by  the  Commission,  February  12,  2004,  by  Notice  of  Proposed  Rule  Making  (FCC  04-  29).  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioners  Abernathy,  Martin  and  Adelstein,  with 
 Commissioner  Copps  approving  in  part  and  dissenting  in  part.  Separate  statements  issued  by  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioners  Abernathy,  Copps,  Martin,  and  Adelstein. 


 ET  Docket  No.  04-  37 
 Office  of  Engineering  Technology  Contact:  Anh  T.  Wride,  202-  418-  0577. 
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