Access Broadband Over Power Line

1. Access Broadband Over Power Line Anh Wride Senior Engineer; Policy and Rules Division Presented to International Civil Aviation Organization Regional Preparatory Group (RPG) Meeting for World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-2007), ACP Working Group B and F and NSP SSG Meetings. Bangkok, Thailand, 21-25 February 2005 by Marcus Wolf, Senior Engineer, International Bureau Office of Engineering and Technology FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

2. Outline • Evolution of Communication Technologies over Power lines • Benefits of Access BPL and Access BPL Rulemaking • What are Access BPL requirements? • Mitigation Responsibility/Interference Complaint Procedure

3. Communication over Power Lines • Carrier current systems have been around for many years • Some examples: • Campus radio systems • Lamp/thermostat controllers • Until recently, general characteristics of carrier current systems were: • Low frequency • Low speed • Narrow frequency/spectrum bands • Used inside buildings/controlled environments (campus)

4. Broadband over Power lines • NEW Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) operations are different • Advanced digital processing and modulation techniques • Multiple carriers • Wide spectrum bandwidths (e.g., 2-80 MHz) • Two General Applications: • In-Home or in-building operations (HomePlug) • Access systems – Internet/broadband to neighborhood using medium voltage lines

5. In-Home Computer Networking, Or Link Between Access BPL & Home “Low Voltage” (120/240 VAC) Broadband Internet Service “Medium Voltage” (e.g. 10kV) Two Types of BPL In-House BPL Access BPL Access BPL connects to computers in the home byin-house BPL or by WiFi (wireless)

6. Outline • Evolution of Communication Technologies over Power lines • Benefits of Access BPL and Access BPL Rulemaking • What are Access BPL requirements? • Mitigation Responsibility/Interference Complaint Procedure

7. Benefits of BPL • “Last Mile” solution: potential 3rd Pipe (+ DSL & Cable) to bring broadband services to the home • Internet and high speed broadband access to wider areas of the country • Promote redundancy of communications systems • Improve utilities’ management of electric grid: • remote power outage notification, security monitoring, traffic control, remote meter reading, instant Wi-Fi Hot Spot installation • Enhance national security of energy distribution systems • Foster development of smart appliances and resource sharing (home networking)

8. Access BPL Rule Making • Notice of Inquiry – April 2003 • Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) – February 2004 • Report and Order - adopted October 14, 2004, released October 28, 2004 • ET Docket 04-37, FCC 04-245 • http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-245A1.doc

9. Objectives • Remove regulatory uncertainty to encourage investments in BPL • Promote development of Access BPL technology to allow consumers to reap its benefits • Ensure protection of licensed radio services • Ensure that compliance measurements are made in a consistent manner with repeatable results

10. Outline • Evolution of Communication Technologies over Power lines • Benefits of Access BPL and Access BPL Rulemaking • What are Access BPL requirements? • Mitigation Responsibility

11. Access BPL Rules I • Access BPL remains under Part 15 unlicensed device rules (new Subpart G) • No change in existing Part 15 emission levels (low power unlicensed operation) • Access BPL operations cannot cause harmful interference and must accept any interference (47 C.F.R §15.5)

12. Access BPL Rules II • Access BPL must include adaptive interference mitigation capabilities to respond to local and site-specific interference, e.g. • Exclude or “notch” any specific frequency or band • Remotely shut off any BPL device

13. Access BPL Rules III • BPL cannot operate on certain “excluded frequency bands” • Specifically, the following 12 Aeronautical (R) frequencies (communications restricted to safety and regularity of flight and an ILS component):

14. Access BPL Rules IV • Establishes “exclusion zones” within which Access BPL must avoid operating on certain frequencies • Access BPL must avoid using 2182 kHz (2173.5- 2190.5 kHz) within 1 km of a U.S. Coast Guard or maritime public coast station • Access BPL using overhead power lines must avoid using 73-74.6 MHz within 29 km of ten radio astronomy sites (Very Long Baseline Array facilities) • Access BPL using underground power lines or overhead low voltage power lines must avoid using 73-74.6 MHz within 11 km of certain radio astronomy sites

15. Access BPL Rules V • Establishes “consultation requirements” for BPL with public safety, and certain sensitive federal and aeronautical stations • Establishes a “good faith” process to ensure that • Access BPL systems do not cause interference; and • Any restrictions by licensees on BPL are only those necessary to avoid interference

16. Access BPL Rules VI • Requires industry to establish a publicly accessible database for Access BPL systems containing: • Access BPL Provider Name • Access BPL deployment by zip code • Frequency bands of operation • Type of equipment (FCC ID) • Contact Information (phone number and email address) to facilitate interference resolution • Proposed or Actual date of Access BPL operation

17. Database Requirements • The industry will select the database administrator and must inform the Commission within 180 days of publication of Report and Order in the Federal Register • The Commission will issue a Public Notice announcing the identity of the database administrator

18. Access BPL Rules VII • Changes equipment authorization requirements for Access BPL devices from Verification to FCC Certification • Certification is an equipment authorization issued by the FCC and requires manufacturers to submit testing and measurement data to the FCC • Under Verification, the manufacturer determines the equipment is compliant and no data is submitted to the FCC unless requested

19. Test and Evaluate Product to Determine Compliance Access BPL Certification Submit Application to TCB – new technology, not permitted F C C G R A N T Label Product Prepare Test Report and Application Submit Application to FCC Market Product

20. Access BPL Rules VIII • Provides new measurement procedures and guidelines to ensure that testing of Access BPL and other carrier current devices is performed in a more consistent and repeatable manner • Recommends that BPL operators perform testing during initial installation and periodically to ensure compliance

21. Outline • Evolution of Communication Technologies over Power lines • Benefits of Access BPL and Access BPL Rulemaking • What are Access BPL requirements? • Mitigation Responsibility

22. Mitigation Responsibility • Protection of Licensed Radio Services is provided by: • the emissions limits for Access BPL systems (low Part 15 levels) • the provisions for consultation areas, excluded bands, and exclusion zones; and • the requirement that Access BPL systems not cause interference. • The mitigation requirements are intended to ensure that Access BPL systems are designed with features that support interference mitigation • during initial installation, if sensitive local communications systems are identified in advance; and • after installation, the newly required operational capabilities will allow Access BPL system operators to expeditiously resolve any instances of interference that may occur, without the need to cease operations and thereby disrupt the broadband data services they provide to their subscribers.

23. Next Steps/Further Information • Transition time • 18 months from publication of BPL Report and Order in Federal Register • For more information: • www.fcc.gov