| Standards
The developing BPL industry is supported
by many associations and organizations comprised
of competitors and partners. These bodies
aim to drive the standardization of the
industry while promoting the technology.
Ambient belongs to and plays critical leadership
roles in several BPL specific organizations.
Ambient is a member of
the UPA and several of Ambient’s engineers
hold key leadership positions on BPL Study
Groups within IEEE creating and promoting
industry standards for the BPL industry.
It also belongs to and plays leadership
roles in utility and engineering organizations
to create and promote industry standards
for BPL. The depth of experience of Ambient’s
executive team is utilized by these associations
and in turn gives Ambient a unique leadership
seat on the cutting edge of the industry.
Regulatory
In October 2004, the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) adopted changes to Part
15 of its Rules to encourage the development
of Access Broadband over Power Line (Access
BPL) systems while safeguarding existing
licensed services against harmful interference.
The FCC took this important step in order
to increase the availability of broadband
services because power lines reach virtually
every home and community. The FCC also acknowledged
important benefits for electric utilities
to enable them to dynamically manage the
power grid itself, thereby increasing network
reliability by remote diagnosis of electrical
system failures. Specifically, the FCC adopted
a framework including: (1) new operational
requirements for Access BPL to promote avoidance
and resolution of harmful interference;
(2) new administrative requirements to aid
in identifying Access BPL installations;
and (3) specific measurement guidelines
and certification requirements to ensure
accurate and repeatable evaluations of emissions
from Access BPL and all other carrier current
systems. The foregoing changes in the FCC's
rules took effect in February 2005. Further, In August 2006, the FCC issued and adopted its "Memorandum of Opinion and Order" paving the way for broad adoption and deployment of BPL.
In addition, while few states have formal
dockets open to examine BPL regulatory issues,
the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC) is sponsoring a task
force comprised of state regulators which
it has formed to research BPL regulatory
issues and to advise state regulators on
its findings which could result in new or
expanded state regulation of the deployment
of BPL.
The BPL industry is just now taking off
and is accompanied by the introduction of
bigger names and positive regulatory recognition
and legislation. The global industry is
still developing standards, and the direction
is positive.
US Federal Level
The FCC affirmed the widespread deployment
of Broadband over Powerline (BPL) services
and technology on October 14th, 2004 with
ET Docket No. 04-37 entitled “Amendment
of Part 15 regarding new requirements and
measurement guidelines for Access Broadband
over Power Line Systems. This establishes
ground rules that promote the emerging BPL
industry. For further information, please
visit www.fcc.gov.
US State Level (Public Utility
Commissions/Public Service Communications
[PUC/PSC])
As the federal government has in essence
approved the concept of BPL for large scale
deployment, the individual state legislation
is following the federal governments rule.
There is a lag as many telecommunications
companies have fought against BPL sighting
that if a municipality were to offer broadband
services, their tax exempt status gives
them an unfair advantage. The general trend
of the individual states is moving towards
acceptance of BPL technology. Large states
such as California and Texas both have encouraged
the deployment of BPL. For further information,
please visit www.naruc.org
or individual states’ website for
their PUC/PSC information.
International
The European Commission issued a Recommendation
on April 12th, 2005, encouraging the deployments
of Powerline Communications access networks.
Several European countries followed the
EU by issuing their own recommendations.
Ambient’s FCC Progress Reports and FCC Correspondence
Ambient files Progress Reports every six
months with the FCC. Other filings are also made to the FCC. This documentation
may be found on the FCC’s site at
www.fcc.gov or by clicking on the below
links. On September 7, 2006, Ambient's BPL system was FCC-certified for commercial deployment.
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