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WASHINGTON -- Hailing the step as a "monumental moment," the U.S. Federal Communications Commission 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 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.

Added Benefits

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 here 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."

Coming Soon?

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, Maryland. 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 U.S. Internet Industry Association didn't return phone calls seeking comment on power line broadband, but Larry Plumb, spokesperson for DSL provider Verizon, 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."

Service Speeds

Last week, Phil Hunt, chair and chief executive officer of Amperion, told the FCC's Technological Advisory Council that BPL could deliver data at speeds up to 20 megabits 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 Chair 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.

Technical Difficulties?

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 50 MHz of spectrum in the 4.9-GHz 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.

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