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 SEPARATE  STATEMENT  OF  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 Re:  Carrier  Current  Systems,  including  Broadband  over  Power  Line  Systems  (ET  Docket  No.  03-  104)  &  Amendment  of  Part  15  Regarding  New  Requirements  and  Measurements  for 
 Access  Broadband  over  Power  Line  (ET  Docket  No.  04-  37),  Notice  of  Proposed  Rule  Making 


 Another  broadband  pipe  is  coming  closer  to  reality.  Despite  increasing  access  to  broadband  services,  significant  areas  of  the  country  still  lack  any  type  of  broadband 
 access  or  competition  among  broadband  service  providers.  The  NPRM  we  adopt  today  takes  an  important  step  towards  promoting  the  deployment  of  a  promising  new 
 technology  –  Broadband  over  Power  Line  or  BPL.  I  have  witnessed  first-  hand  the  potential  of  BPL  to  provide  a  new  platform  for  the  deployment  of  high-  speed  access 
 operating  under  the  Commission’s  existing  Part  15  rules.  Even  today  almost  a  dozen  companies  are  conducting  field  tests  around  the  country.  BPL  is  currently  being  studied 
 and  deployed  in  a  number  of  these  communities,  including  in  our  own  backyard  in  Manassas,  Virginia. 


 Companies  have  struggled  for  years  to  make  BPL  a  success  and  I  am  struck  by  the  recent  advancements  and  hurdles  that  have  been  overcome  to  provide  enhanced 
 services,  more  choices,  and  lower  prices  for  our  Nation’s  consumers. 
 BPL  technology  could  also  improve  the  provision  and  management  of  electric  power  systems,  homeland  security,  and  protect  vital  elements  of  our  Nation’s  critical 
 infrastructure.  Moreover,  BPL  is  being  developed  worldwide,  and  encouraging  the  deployment  of  the  technology  in  the  U.  S.  will  promote  continued  U.  S.  leadership  in 
 broadband  technology,  and  bring  important  benefits  to  the  American  public. 
 I  am  confident  that  the  proposals  we  adopt  today  balance  the  potential  benefits  of  BPL  services  and  give  careful  consideration  of  the  potential  interference  from  BPL 
 operations  by  establishing  new  requirements  that  will  help  minimize  harmful  interference  that  may  occur  and  guidelines  for  measurement  of  radio  frequency  (RF)  emissions  from 
 carrier  current  systems. 
 I  am  optimistic  and  welcome  the  day  when  every  electrical  outlet  will  have  the  potential  to  offer  high-  speed  broadband  and  a  plethora  of  high-  tech  applications  to  all 
 Americans. 
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