[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 28182-28186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12914]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 15

[ET Docket No. 03-104; FCC 03-100]


Broadband Power Line Systems

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of inquiry.

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SUMMARY: This document requests comment from the public on the current 
state of Broadband Power Line (BPL) technology and to determine whether 
changes to the Commission's rules are necessary to facilitate the 
deployment of this technology. The Commission believes that BPL could 
play an important role in providing additional competition in the 
offering of broadband infrastructure to the American home and consumers 
because power lines reach virtually every community in the country.

DATES: Written comments are due on or before August 6, 2003, and reply 
comments are due on or before September 5, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 
445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. See supplementary 
information for filing instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anh T. Wride, Office of Engineering 
and Technology, (202) 418-0577, TTY (202) 418-2989, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Commission's Notice 
of Inquiry, ET Docket No. 03-104, FCC 03-100, adopted April 23, 2003, 
and released April 28, 2003. The full text of this document is 
available for inspection and copying during regular business hours in 
the FCC Reference Center (Room CY-A257), 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554. The complete text of this document also may be 
purchased from the Commission's copy contractor, Qualex International, 
445 12th Street, SW., Room, CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554. The full 
text may also be downloaded at: http://www.fcc.gov. To request 
materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, 
large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to 
[email protected] or call the FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau 
at (202) 418-0531 (voice), (202) 418-7365 (TTY).
    This is an exempt notice and comment rule making proceeding. Ex 
parte presentations are permitted, except during any Sunshine Agenda 
period. See generally 47 CFR 1.1200(a), 1.1203, and 1.1204(b).
    Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment 
Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing 
of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24,121 (1998). Comments 
filed through the ECFS can be sent as an electronic file via the 
Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html. Generally, only one 
copy of an electronic submission must be filed. If multiple docket or 
rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of this proceeding, however, 
commenters must transmit one electronic copy of the comments to each 
docket or rulemaking number referenced in the caption. In completing 
the transmittal screen, commenters should include their full name, 
Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking 
number. Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-
mail. To get filing instructions for e-mail comments, commenters should 
send an e-mail to [email protected], and should include the following words 
in the body of the message, ``get form .'' A sample form and directions will be sent in 
reply.
    Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four 
copies of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number 
appears in the caption of this proceeding, commenters must submit two 
additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. All 
filings must be sent to the Commission's Secretary, Marlene H. Dortch, 
Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, The 
Portals, 445 Twelfth Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554.
    Parties who choose to file by paper should also submit their 
comments on

[[Page 28183]]

diskette. These diskettes should be submitted to: Anh Wride, Office of 
Engineering and Technology, Federal Communications Commission, The 
Portals, 445 Twelfth Street, SW., Room 7-A125, Washington, DC 20554. 
Such a submission should be on a 3.5 inch diskette formatted in an IBM 
compatible format using Word for Windows or compatible software. The 
diskette should be accompanied by a cover letter and should be 
submitted in ``read only'' mode. The diskette should be clearly labeled 
with the commenter's name, proceeding (including the lead docket 
number, in this case ET Docket No. 03-104, type of pleading (comment or 
reply comment), date of submission, and the name of the electronic file 
on the diskette. The label should also include the following phrase 
``Disk Copy--Not an Original.'' Each diskette should contain only one 
party's pleadings, preferably in a single electronic file.

Summary of the Notice of Inquiry

    1. The Commission seeks to obtain information and technical data on 
a variety of issues related to Broadband over Power Line (BPL) systems. 
BPL systems are new types of carrier current system that operate on an 
unlicensed basis under part 15 of the Commission's rules. BPL systems 
use existing electrical power lines as a transmission medium to provide 
high-speed communications capabilities by coupling RF energy onto the 
power line. Because power lines reach virtually every community in the 
country, BPL could play an important role in providing additional 
competition in the offering of broadband infrastructure to the American 
home and consumers. In addition, BPL could bring the Internet and high-
speed broadband access to rural and underserved areas, which often are 
difficult to serve due to the high costs associated with upgrading 
existing infrastructure and interconnecting communication nodes with 
new technologies.
    2. The Commission seeks information and technical data so that we 
may evaluate the current state of BPL technology and determine whether 
changes to part 15 of the Commission's rules are necessary to 
facilitate the deployment of this technology. While BPL may be deployed 
under our existing part 15 rules, the rules do not specifically provide 
measurement procedures that apply to systems using the power line as a 
transmission medium. We therefore seek comment on what changes, if any, 
we should make to our part 15 rules to promote and encourage the new 
BPL technology and to our measurement procedures for all types of 
carrier current systems. We further encourage present deployment of BPL 
that complies with our existing rules, noting that if, or when, our 
rules are modified, those rules will address prospective compliance.
    3. The Commission believes that the introduction of new high-speed 
BPL technologies warrants a systematic review of the part 15 rules in 
order to facilitate the deployment of this new technology, promote 
consistency in the rules and ensure the ongoing protection of the 
licensed radio services. We first seek to examine the new BPL 
technology and its various operating environments.
    4. Access BPL Systems. Access BPL systems carry high-speed data and 
voice signals outdoors over the medium voltage line from a point where 
there is a connection to a telecommunications network. This point of 
connection may be at a power substation or at an intermediate point 
between substations, depending on the network topology. Near the 
distribution point to a residential neighborhood, a coupler or bridge 
circuit module is installed to enable the transfer of high-frequency 
digital signals across the low-voltage distribution transformer. 
Finally, the high-speed communication signals are brought to the home 
over the exterior service power cable from the bridge across the 
distribution transformer, either directly, or via an Access BPL adaptor 
module.
    5. Several consortiums have been organized to promote Access BPL 
and its applications; however, the operating characteristics of Access 
BPL are not standardized. In order to assist us in understanding the 
current state of Access BPL, we seek comment and information in 
response to the following questions:
    [sbull] What spectrum and bandwidth would Access BPL use? We have 
granted experimental licenses to some parties under 47 CFR 5 to 
evaluate Access BPL equipment that operates from 1.7 to 80 MHz. Would 
Access BPL devices operate in other portions of the spectrum and at 
what bandwidth?
    [sbull] Is the spectrum used by Access BPL shared with In-house 
BPL? Are there any frequency sharing issues to be considered, i.e., 
should we designate spectrum for Access BPL and In-House BPL? Is 
spectrum sharing between Access BPL and In-House BPL feasible?
    [sbull] What data transmission speeds can Access BPL systems 
achieve? What speeds can be typically sustained under normal user 
environment conditions? What speeds are envisioned with deployed access 
shared among several users? Are the speeds symmetric in both the 
transmit and receive directions?
    [sbull] What are the modulation techniques? What techniques are 
used for ensuring the security of data? What schemes are used for 
contention resolution between Access and various In-House BPL devices, 
if more than one device needs to take control of the electric wire at 
the same time to communicate?
    [sbull] Would Access products work with In-House BPL products and 
services, without the need for additional equipment, such as converters 
and adaptors?
    [sbull] What is the status of development and anticipated timeline 
for market deployment of Access BPL equipment?
    [sbull] What standards work has been done domestically and 
internationally on Access BPL and what are the results of such 
activities? Are there ongoing international standards activities that 
would benefit U.S. industry and what steps should the Commission take 
to encourage this work? We are aware that the IEC CISPR Subcommittee I 
on Interference Relating To Multimedia Equipment, Working Group 3 on 
Emission from Information Technology Equipment, is developing conducted 
emission limits for new BPL technologies. Are there other standards 
bodies involved in similar activities?
    6. In-House BPL Systems. A number of high-speed In-House BPL 
devices have reached the market within the last few months, operating 
under our existing part 15 rules for carrier current systems. In-House 
BPL systems carry data and voice signals between the wiring and 
electrical outlets inside of a building. In-House BPL systems are aimed 
at home networking and sharing of resources between devices, such as 
multiple computers, printers and smart appliances. Each device to be 
networked is connected to a BPL adaptor module through a Universal 
Serial Bus (USB) or Ethernet port. The BPL adaptor module plugs into a 
power outlet and communicates over the electrical wiring with other 
similar BPL adaptor modules in the home, thus forming a peer-to-peer 
local area network between these devices. In-House BPL operation may 
provide Internet sharing or other external service connections 
independently of Access BPL service.
    7. There are several consortiums organized to promote In-House BPL 
technology and its applications. In-House BPL networking capabilities 
would encourage the growth of smart appliances and other consumer 
electronics equipment, facilitating the sharing of resources between 
various devices and increasing productivity. In

[[Page 28184]]

order to assist us in understanding the high speed In-House BPL 
technology, we seek comment in the following areas:
    [sbull] In-House BPL systems built to the HomePlug standard 
specifications operate in the frequency range from 4.5 to 21 MHz. Are 
other In-House BPL devices being designed to operate in other portions 
of the spectrum, and at what bandwidth?
    [sbull] What is the highest data transmission speed that In-House 
BPL systems can achieve? What speeds can be typically sustained under 
normal user environment conditions?
    [sbull] What are the modulation techniques? What techniques are 
used for ensuring the security of data, especially when several 
residential units share the same common distribution transformer? What 
schemes are used for contention resolution between various In-House BPL 
devices, if more than one device needs to take control of the electric 
wire at the same time to communicate?
    [sbull] Would products developed according to one standard work 
with products developed according to another standard, without the need 
for additional equipment, such as converters and adaptors?
    [sbull] What standards work has been done domestically and 
internationally on In-House BPL technology and what are the results of 
such activities? Are there on-going international standards activities 
that would benefit U.S. industry and what steps should the Commission 
take to encourage this work?
    8. Interference from BPL Emissions. In both Access and In-House 
high-speed BPL technologies multiple carriers spread signals over a 
broad range of frequencies that are used by other services that must be 
protected from interference. In the spectrum below 30 MHz, incumbent 
authorized operations include fixed, land mobile, aeronautical mobile, 
maritime mobile, radiolocation, broadcast radio, amateur radio 
terrestrial and satellite, and radioastronomy. In the spectrum from 30 
to 300 MHz, incumbent authorized operations include fixed land mobile, 
aeronautical mobile, maritime mobile and mobile satellite, 
radioastronomy, amateur radio terrestrial and satellite, broadcasts TV 
and radio. This spectrum is also used for public safety and law 
enforcement, and Federal government aeronautical radionavigation, 
radionavigation satellite and radiolocation. Each of these authorized 
services in the spectrum must be protected from harmful interference.
    9. Interference issues may also arise because existing statutes on 
pole attachment require the co-location of cable and telecommunications 
equipment from third party service providers on the same utility poles 
that carry power wires. The close proximity of Access BPL equipment on 
utility poles may affect (and be affected by) the operation of cable 
television service and high-speed digital transmission service, such as 
DSL.
    10. We therefore ask for comment and information on the following 
questions:
    [sbull] In order to transfer high frequency signals beyond the low-
voltage distribution transformer, Access BPL systems use high-pass 
filter circuits to bypass the transformer and its inherent low-
bandwidth characteristics. What is the effect of these high-pass 
filters with respect to high-frequency signals used inside the house, 
e.g., from In-House BPL equipment or other in-premises technologies, 
that may rely on the low-voltage transformer as a natural barrier to 
avoid causing interference at higher frequencies?
    [sbull] For Access BPL systems, several methods of RF signal 
injection onto the medium voltage lines can be envisioned:
    [sbull] An RF voltage could be applied between a power line and 
ground;
    [sbull] An RF voltage could be applied differentially between two 
phases of a power line; or
    [sbull] A single power line wire could be driven as if it were a 
dipole antenna--e.g., by inductively coupling RF energy to it.
    11. Other approaches may also be possible. What methods are being 
considered for signal injection onto the medium voltage lines? What are 
the implications on radiated emissions of various methods for injecting 
signals onto the medium voltage lines (e.g., differences in directional 
characteristics and magnitudes of the emitted fields)?
    [sbull] Is there a need to define frequency bands that must be 
avoided in order to protect the licensed users on the same frequencies 
as those used by Access BPL systems? Are there mitigation techniques 
Access BPL systems can use to avoid possible interference with licensed 
users of the spectrum, such as mobile users or public safety and law 
enforcement users who may be traveling directly beneath the medium 
voltage lines?
    [sbull] Since Access BPL equipment is installed on medium voltage 
lines that supply electricity to a residential neighborhood, should 
this equipment be treated as operating in a residential (Class B) or 
commercial (Class A) environment?
    [sbull] How does the close proximity of Access BPL equipment to 
cable television and telecommunications equipment from third party 
service providers co-located on the same utility pole affect the 
operation of these services? On the other hand, what is the effect of 
this close proximity to Access BPL operations?
    [sbull] High-speed In-House BPL systems are being deployed in 
residences with a telecommunications access connection from a DSL or 
cable modem service. What mitigation techniques are used by In-House 
BPL systems to avoid possible interference from DSL or cable modem 
within the same spectrum? On the other hand, what is the effect of DSL 
or cable modem on In-House BPL operations?
    [sbull] What mitigation techniques are used by In-House BPL systems 
to avoid possible interference with licensed radio services, such as 
amateur radio, fixed, mobile and broadcast services? Is there a need to 
define frequency bands that must be avoided in order to protect the 
licensed services that use the same frequencies as In-House BPL 
systems?
    [sbull] What are the probable interference environments and 
propagation patterns of Access BPL and In-House BPL systems? Are there 
specific issues of interference that we should address, e.g., an 
increase in the level of the noise floor? What models are available for 
predicting radiated emissions from access BPL systems?
    [sbull] Are there test results from field trials of Access BPL that 
may assist in the analysis of harmful interference? Inasmuch as In-
House BPL equipment is already on the market, are there any reports 
that may assist in the further analysis of harmful interference?
    [sbull] Are the existing part 15 rules for low speed carrier 
current systems adequate to protect authorized users of the spectrum 
who may be affected by the new high speed BPL technology? What changes 
to these rules, if any, are necessary to protect authorized radio 
services?
    [sbull] How should the part 15 rules be tailored both to ensure 
protection against harmful interference to radio services and to avoid 
adversely impacting the development and deployment of this nascent 
technology?
    [sbull] Given their different operating environment, is it 
necessary to tailor the rules to differentiate equipment used 
specifically in Access BPL and In-House BPL applications, or should one 
set of general limits be applied to both? What should such limits be 
and what is the technical basis for them?
    [sbull] Is there need to specify different limits for Access and 
In-House systems? For example, would it be appropriate to allow higher 
emissions for In-House systems where the user would be the principal 
party affected by interference,

[[Page 28185]]

and could take steps to mitigate the interference, than for Access 
systems where the interference would affect a wider area and therefore 
be more problematic to mitigate? Would higher emissions for In-House 
systems result in any interference effects in other houses or 
apartments sharing the same local low voltage distribution by the RF 
signal being distributed on the low voltage side of the transformer? 
What limits should be specified, given the above considerations?
    [sbull] Should the part 15 rules specify both radiated emission 
limits and conducted emission limits for BPL systems, or would one type 
of limits be sufficient to control interference from both low speed and 
high speed BPL? Since all carrier current systems inject RF signals 
into the power line for communication purposes, would conducted 
emission limits be more appropriate to protect authorized radio 
services?
    12. Measurement methods. We seek comment on measurement methods for 
all types of carrier current systems, including new high-speed Access 
and In-House BPL devices. Because existing carrier current systems use 
the power line wiring inside a building to transfer information and 
data, the radiated emissions from RF energy conducted onto the power 
lines tend to vary from location to location, based on the 
installation's AC wiring and the loading placed on that wiring. In 
effect, since the installation's wiring functions as an antenna, that 
wiring becomes part of the system to be evaluated. As such, 
measurements to demonstrate compliance with the rules are not normally 
made at a standard open area test site, because the measurement of each 
system is unique to its location.
    13. Currently, there are no specific test methods in our rules for 
carrier current systems, rather, measurement procedures have been left 
to the discretion of the party performing the tests, and thus 
measurements can be subjective and inconsistent. Furthermore, Access 
BPL equipment presents unique measurement challenges because it is 
typically installed on utility poles and operated over medium voltage 
lines. We therefore request comment and input on the following 
questions:
    [sbull] How should the measurement procedures for testing existing 
low-speed carrier current systems be developed in order to avoid the 
burden of selecting representative installations and to promote 
consistency and repeatability of test results? Is it possible to 
develop a standardized measurement method for testing in a laboratory 
or at an open area test site using some characterized wiring assembly 
or artificial impedance network? If so, how?
    [sbull] How should measurement procedures for testing new BPL 
systems, both Access and In-House, be developed in order to promote 
consistency with measurements of existing carrier current systems and 
repeatability of test results?
    [sbull] Conducted emissions testing is usually performed using a 
line impedance stabilization network (LISN), which is an artificial 
power line network that provides a specified load impedance in a given 
frequency range. This device is also used to isolate the equipment from 
the AC supply and to facilitate measurements. If conducted emission 
limits alone are sufficient to control harmful interference from BPL 
systems, how should the measurement procedure be specified? How should 
the characteristics of a line impedance stabilization network be 
specified for testing both In-House and Access BPL systems?
    [sbull] Existing literature is inconclusive on the degree of 
difference in radiated emissions from houses and buildings when In-
House PLC signals are injected in common mode (phase/neutral to an RF 
ground) versus differential mode (phase to neutral). Is there data 
available that shows radiated emission levels from houses and other 
buildings, located in the United States, for both types of signal 
injection? Is the difference sufficiently large as to justify separate 
conducted limits for common mode and differential mode signals? 
Alternatively, should a LISN be defined to simultaneously measure the 
total effect of the common-mode and differential-mode contributions in 
proportion to their expected respective contributions to radiated 
emissions? What should be the characteristics of that LISN?
    [sbull] How should In-House BPL systems be tested for compliance, 
given that they use the building's wiring as an antenna? The impedance 
characteristics of in-house wiring changes each time an appliance is 
turned on or off, which makes modeling this varying impedance a 
challenging task. Is it possible to develop a standardized measurement 
method for testing In-House BPL in a laboratory or at an open area test 
site using a specialized LISN or some characterized wiring assembly? If 
so, how? Would the same method of measurement be sufficient to test 
both traditional carrier current system and new high speed In-House 
BPL?
    [sbull] How should Access BPL systems be tested for compliance, 
given that they generally operate in an environment where signals 
travel on overhead medium voltage lines? Could a standardized 
measurement method be developed for testing Access BPL in a laboratory 
or at an open area test site, using a specialized LISN or some 
characterized pole and wiring assembly? If so, how?
    [sbull] Are there any international standards that should be 
investigated for possible adoption in order to facilitate the 
development of BPL products for a global marketplace?
    14. Currently, equipment operating as carrier current systems, such 
as power line intercom systems, lamp remote controls, low speed power 
line telephone adaptors, etc. are subject to the Verification procedure 
under our equipment authorization program. The low speed systems have 
not been a source of harmful interference to radio communications. In 
addition, it appears that use of the Verification procedure has been 
adequate to ensure that such systems comply with the rules. However, 
the multiple-carrier transmission nature of the new high speed BPL 
technology could pose increased risk of harmful interference, and thus 
new BPL devices may need a higher degree of oversight to ensure that 
authorized users are not subject to interference. Accordingly, we seek 
comment on the following questions:
    [sbull] Would the new high speed Access and In-House BPL equipment 
pose a higher risk of interference to licensed radio services than the 
traditional carrier current systems?
    [sbull] Unlike In-House BPL equipment, which usually involves 
multiple units of a standard module working together, Access BPL may 
involve two or more different types of components to form the complete 
system (e.g., Access BPL medium voltage coupler, Access BPL adaptor 
module, etc.). What components of an Access BPL system should be 
subject to equipment authorization?
    [sbull] Should the new Access and In-House BPL equipment be 
required to comply with either the Certification procedure or the 
Declaration of Conformity under our equipment authorization program, 
which warrants additional oversight, or should they be covered under 
our Verification procedure like the traditional carrier current 
systems?
    15. The Commission believe that the new high speed BPL technology 
could be used to assist the utilities by adding intelligent networking 
capabilities to the electric grid, allowing various interconnected and 
network-addressable BPL components to work together in improving 
efficiency in activities such as energy management, power outage

[[Page 28186]]

notification and automated meter reading. In order to help us in 
evaluating the applicability of BPL technology to power line carrier 
systems, we seek input on the following questions:
    [sbull] Will the power line carrier systems currently deployed by 
the utility companies to control and monitor the electrical system be 
replaced in the future with the new high speed BPL equipment?
    [sbull] How would the utility companies deploy these new control 
systems and how would these new systems coexist with the older control 
systems?
    [sbull] Should power line carrier systems using BPL technology be 
subject to the coordination process in the current database maintained 
by UTC?
    [sbull] Are any changes needed in the regulations governing power 
line carrier systems? Should power line carrier systems using BPL 
technology be subject to the general requirements for Access BPL 
systems, since the same system may now be carrying broadband signals as 
well as monitoring and control signals? How could, or should, these 
functions be separated?
    [sbull] What interference issues, if any, besides the issues raised 
under the general BPL interference section, supra, must be addressed 
with the deployment of high-speed power line carrier systems?
    16. Other Matters. The questions raised in this Notice of Inquiry 
are intended to solicit information to assist the Commission in 
deciding whether to propose rule changes as a result of the developing 
BPL technology. We realize that these questions do not necessarily 
encompass all of the possible issues raised by this technology. Parties 
therefore may wish to comment on the following additional topics:
    [sbull] What standardized transport and data link protocols are 
typically used between a user's personal computer, for example, and the 
Internet point of presence, over Access BPL systems? For example, is 
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE), Asynchronous 
Transfer Mode (ATM), or other such lower layer protocols involved?
    17. We seek information on the subject of communications over 
electric power lines from all interested parties to obtain a wide 
representation of viewpoints. Accordingly, we request comments on any 
other matters or issues, in addition to those discussed previously, 
that may be pertinent to BPL technology.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-12914 Filed 5-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P