[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 850 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 850

   To express the sense of the House that the Federal Communications 
Commission should not enact rules authorizing Broadband Over Power Line 
  Systems without a more comprehensive evaluation of the interference 
 potential to Public Safety services and other licensed radio services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 2004

Mr. Ross submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   To express the sense of the House that the Federal Communications 
Commission should not enact rules authorizing Broadband Over Power Line 
  Systems without a more comprehensive evaluation of the interference 
 potential to Public Safety services and other licensed radio services.

Whereas the Federal Communications Commission (hereinafter in this resolution 
        referred to as ``the FCC'') has indicated that it will, in the Fall of 
        2004, vote on proposed rules establishing operating parameters for BPL 
        Systems, ET Docket No. 04-37;
Whereas comprehensive studies and actual measurements to date undertaken by the 
        National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) have 
        determined that BPL creates a ``high risk'' of radio wave interference, 
        and that harmful interference to public safety mobile radio receivers 
        can be expected at distances of 75 meters from the power line where BPL 
        is in operation, and at distances of up to 460 meters from fixed 
        stations, such as VHF police or fire dispatch communications facilities;
Whereas that same NTIA study determined that BPL interference to aeronautical 
        and airline travel communications could be expected at distances up to 
        40 kilometers from the center of the BPL system, and that interference 
        to outer marker beacons for airline instrument landing systems could be 
        expected at great distances as well;
Whereas in the collective view of the Association of Public Safety Officials, 
        Inc. and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council, the VHF 
        low band (30-50 MHz) is used by many public safety agencies, including 
        EMS, fire and law enforcement as well as public safety support services, 
        and in thirteen states, for state police operations [of which, nine 
        (California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, 
        Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West 
        Virginia and Wyoming) utilize that band as their primary radio band], 
        and as a result urge that action in the BPL docket at FCC be withheld 
        for at least twelve months, pending a conclusive determination of the 
        radio waves interference potential of BPL to public safety and radio 
        systems below 80 MHz;
Whereas comments filed in the FCC proceeding by the Missouri State Highway 
        Patrol, which uses a statewide radio system with over 1400 users in the 
        VHF low band, state that the overall effect of BPL implementation will 
        be a potentially significant increase in interference to the mission of 
        critical public safety communications; and
Whereas the FCC has struggled for years to resolve widespread instances of 
        harmful interference to the 800 MHz communications of our heroic first 
        responders, and should not proceed with introduction of a technology 
        which could cause destructive interference to police, fire, EMS and 
        other public safety radio systems, operating below 80 MHZ, VHF low band: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House that--
            (1) the FCC should not take any action in the BPL 
        proceeding that could disrupt public safety radio systems, or 
        adopt only reactive measures for resolving cases of harmful 
        interference to public safety systems;
            (2) the FCC should withhold action in ET Docket No. 04-37 
        pending a full and complete radio wave interference analysis 
        involving field studies and BPL test demonstration systems, to 
        determine the actual, measured effect of BPL on public safety 
        systems, and a comprehensive interference analysis, with the 
        participation of public safety agencies and organizations; and
            (3) the FCC should allow extensive public review and 
        comment on this study, and the results of the study, and a 
        summary of the public comment thereon should be published 
        before any rules are finally adopted in ET Docket No. 04-37.
                                 <all>