[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 230 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 230

 To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
Communications Commission should reconsider and revise rules governing 
 broadband over power line systems based on a comprehensive evaluation 
    of the interference potential of those systems to public safety 
              services and other licensed radio services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2005

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
Communications Commission should reconsider and revise rules governing 
 broadband over power line systems based on a comprehensive evaluation 
    of the interference potential of those systems to public safety 
              services and other licensed radio services.

Whereas comprehensive studies and actual measurements to date undertaken by the 
        National Telecommunications Information Administration have determined 
        that broadband over power line 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 broadband over power line 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 National Telecommunications Information Administration study 
        determined that broadband over power line interference to aeronautical 
        and airline travel communications could be expected at distances up to 
        40 kilometers from the center of the broadband over power line system, 
        and that interference to outer marker beacons for airline instrument 
        landing systems could be expected at great distances as well;
Whereas the VHF low band (30-50 megahertz) is used by many public safety 
        agencies, including emergency medical services, fire, and law 
        enforcement as well as public safety support services;
Whereas in 13 States that band is used for State police operations, of which 9 
        States (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;
Whereas a result of that use the Association of Public Safety Officials, Inc., 
        and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council, urged that 
        action in the broadband over power line docket at FCC be withheld for at 
        least 12 months, pending a conclusive determination of the radio waves 
        interference potential of broadband over power line to public safety and 
        radio systems below 80 megahertz;
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, stated that the overall effect of broadband over power 
        line 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 megahertz communications of our heroic 
        first responders, and should not have proceeded with introduction of a 
        technology which appears to have substantial potential to cause 
        destructive interference to police, fire, emergency medical services, 
        and other public safety radio systems, operating below 80 megahertz, VHF 
        low band without first conducting a comprehensive evaluation thereof: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, that it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the FCC should reconsider and review the rules adopted 
        pursuant to its October 28, 2004, action in the broadband over 
        power line proceeding, which could disrupt public safety radio 
        systems;
            (2) the FCC should conduct a full and complete radio wave 
        interference analysis involving field studies and broadband 
        over power line test demonstration systems, to determine the 
        actual, measured effect of broadband over power line on public 
        safety systems, and a comprehensive interference analysis, with 
        the participation of public safety agencies and organizations, 
        and other interested parties; 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 broadband over power line systems are deployed pursuant 
        to rules finally adopted in the FCC's ET Docket No. 04-37.
                                 <all>