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 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  DEBORAH  TAYLOR  TATE 
 Re:  Petition  of  the  United  Power  Line  Council  for  Declaratory  Ruling  Regarding  the  Classification  of  Broadband  over  Power  Line  Internet  Access  Service  as  an 
 Information  Service 
 Along  with  my  colleagues,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  to  review  BPL  demonstrations  both  in  Keller,  Texas,  and,  locally,  in  Potomac,  Maryland.  The 
 possibilities  created  by  broadband  over  power  line  (BPL)  technology  are  truly  amazing.  Imagine  being  able  to  plug  into  high-  speed  Internet  wherever  there’s  an  electrical  outlet. 
 The  presence  of  another  broadband  platform  could  help  to  bolster  competition  and,  hopefully,  lower  prices  for  consumers,  especially  in  rural  communities.  Plus,  the 
 presence  of  an  additional  data  network  would  help  serve  an  important  homeland  security  function,  adding  redundancy  to  our  critical  infrastructure  –  this  is  the  potential  of  BPL, 
 and  it  is  exciting. 
 This  item  seeks  to  eliminate  some  of  the  regulatory  uncertainty  regarding  BPL-enabled  Internet  access  service  by  classifying  it  as  an  “information  service.”  In  doing  so, 
 we  remove  significant  regulatory  uncertainty  and  place  this  service  on  a  level  playing  field  with  both  DSL  and  cable  modem  service,  both  already  classified  as  information 
 services.  This  is  consistent  with  the  Commission’s  prior  actions,  and  also  succeeds  in  pursuing  our  objectives  while  applying  only  a  light  regulatory  touch.  For  these  reasons,  I 
 support  this  item. 
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