Broadband%20over%20Power%20line%20and%20its%20effect%20on%20emergency%20services

1
Broadband over Power lineand its effect
onemergency services

• Ron LaPedis, CBCP, CISSP, ISSMP, ISSAPRadio
  Amateur Extra N6QGK
• When All Else Fails . . . Amateur Radio

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Attribution

• The material in this presentation comes from USA
  and Canadian sources. However, BPL is being
  proposed with similar specifications in many
  countries.
• Radio waves do not stop at city, state,
  provincial, nor country boundaries.

3
Background

• Hertz Basic unit of frequency in cycles per
  second Humans can hear frequencies from
  20-20,000 Hertz
• MHz 1 million Hertz
• High Frequency (HF) 3-30 MHz
• Very High Frequency (VHF) 30-300 MHz
• Ultra High Frequency (UHF) 300-3000 MHz
• Wavelength (?) The distance between one peak of
  a wave and the next.
• ? c / f where c 299792458 m/s (speed of light
  in a vacuum)

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Background

• The lower the frequency, the longer the antenna
  needed to send and receive it
• All things being equal, lower frequencies (longer
  wavelengths) travel longer distances but do not
  penetrate buildings as well as higher
  frequencies.
• HF needs little infrastructure for extended
  distance communications
• It is also easier to transmit lower frequencies
  at higher power

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Background

• Radio amateurs talk about frequency bands by
  wavelength, not by frequency, hence 20 meter
  band, 40 meter band and so on.
• F (299792458 m/s)/20m 14.9 MHz
• Actual is 14.0-14.35 MHz

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Background
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Background

• Many public safety radios use VHF
• Trunking radios use UHF (800 MHz)
• California Highway Patrol uses HF (29 MHz)
• Aeronautics/Marine use HF VHF
• Shortwave radio uses HF
• HF communication makes use of the most important
  property of the frequencies between 2MHz and
  30MHz the ability to establish and maintain
  communications over great distances without any
  intervening man made infrastructure.

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Background

• Dont power companies send data over power lines
  already?
• Yes, Power Line Carrier (PLC) is used for command
  and control but it is narrow-band low frequency
  (100 to 180 kHz) and low speed.
• Current BPL is wide-band and uses 2.46 to 38 MHz.
  It offers 1-3 mBits/sec to the end point.

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Broadband over Powerline diagram
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Broadband over Powerline interference paths
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BPL INTERFERENCE PATHS

• Near field component
• Less than 10 wavelength distance (70-1200 m)
• Can only be reduced by shielding
• Radiated component
• More than 10 wavelength distance
• Can be reduced by good transmission line
  technique (but power distribution lines are NOT
  good transmission lines).

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RADIATED FIELD
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HF/VHF Users
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HF Users
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Broadcast
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Aviation
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Amateur Radio Service
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Marine and Land Mobile
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FCC Notice of Inquiry

• On April 28, 2003, the FCC released an NOI
  requesting comments and reply comments on
  primarily technical issues regarding BPL. The FCC
  sought information and data on the relevant
  technology.
• In addition, the FCC sought comment on whether it
  should change the part 15 rules, 47 CFR 15, to
  allow for the legal and feasible deployment of
  BPL.

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American Public Power Association

• Given the tremendous potential of BPL to provide
  an advanced technology that utilizes additional
  facilities based mechanisms for providing
  services the burden should be imposed on
  challengers to BPL to demonstrate interference in
  a fact based, empirical proof.

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APPA (cont.)

• Further, to the extent that interference is
  demonstrated, there should be an attempt to
  accommodate BPL, even if it means that existing
  communications providers may have to share or
  transfer bandwidth.'

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BPL Is Regulated by FCC Part 15

• Carrier-current must meet limits for intentional
  emitters
• Non-interference stipulated in part 15
• Manufacturer responsible for FCC authorization
  and maximum limits
• Operator responsible for harmful interference
• Both are important to mitigate possible harmful
  interference

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Harmful Interference

• Defined as the repeated disruption of radio
  communications or any disruption of certain
  emergency communications services
• From broadband device (BPL) will interfere with
  entire band(s)!
• Will occur for entire length of line in areas
  where access BPL is deployed!

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Potential Spectrum Loss
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BPL Could Interfere With

• Emergency management
• National Guard
• US Coast Guard
• U.S. Military
• Fire Departments
• Law Enforcement

• CAP
• FAA
• FEMA
• NASA
• Voice of America
• TV stations
• Low Power FM Broadcast Stations

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BPL Could Also Interfere With

• Radio astronomy
• Amateur Radio services
• Disaster communication networks
• Land, fixed, mobile services
• Military Affiliate Radio Systems (Army, Navy,
  Marine Corps, Air Force)
• Citizens band

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A Power Line

• Is unshielded
• Is an antenna!
• It can transmit
• and receive!

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A power line and an antenna
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An Amateur Radio Station

• Is licensed by the FCC
• Has access to various portions of the RF spectrum
  from 1.8 MHz thru 250 GHz
• Transmits as much as 1500 W
• Receives weak signals

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Worldwide Problem

• BPL was extensively studied in Japan and rejected
• Trials continue in Europe
• Multiple interference complaints have been
  documented

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Organizations Voicing Concern About BPL
Interference

• US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• US National Telecommunications and Information
  Administration (NTIA)
• National short-wave listener associations
• Short-wave broadcasters
• Electronic-equipment manufacturers
• GE Medical
• Aeronautical

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The Consumer

• Consumers probably will not be aware of the
  documented interference potential
• Early subscribers may be subjected to needless
  system problems due to the deployment of
  technology that has yet to be properly tested
• Hams and emergency communications at risk

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FEMA comments

• BPL could severely impair FEMA's
  mission-essential HF radio operations in areas
  serviced by BPL technology.
• BPL also could render such essential
  communications services as the Radio Amateur
  Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the Military
  Affiliate Radio System (MARS) and the Civil Air
  Patrol (CAP) useless.

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FEMA (cont.)

• FEMA said, there's no current alternative to HF
  in terms of meeting national security and
  emergency preparedness requirements at the
  national, state and local levels.

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National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) Comment

• Notwithstanding BPLS Potential Benefits, The
  Commission Must Ensure That Other Communications
  Services, Especially Federal Government
  Operations, Are Adequately Protected From
  Unacceptable Interference.

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NTIAs Latest Filings

• Rejects the idea of BPL ID
• Excludes some freqs for aeronautics
• Coastal station exclusion zones
• Coordination areas around National Radio Quiet
  Zones
• No other protections are mentioned!

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Canadian Magazine TCA
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BPL Interference compared to other Broadband
access technologies

• DSL Tightly-coupled differential transmission
  line minimizes radiation.
• Coax Fully shielded transmission line minimizes
  radiation,
• Fiber Completely optical, ZERO radiation
• Wireless Uses dedicated microwave frequencies
  not shared with other licensed servicesinterferen
  ce minimal

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Future of BPL

• Limited bandwidth, further constrained by
  chopping out slices due to interference
• The spectrum is what it is, cant grow more
  spectrum. Power lines will not sustain microwave
  transmission, so BPL has finite, limited BW
• Cable, wireless and particularly fiber have far
  greater bandwidth growth opportunity, without
  interference to other licensed services.
• Interference both IN and OUT will lead to a lot
  of unpredictable service calls

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How you Can Help

• If you are a radio amateur
• Join your countrys radio society if you are not
  currently a member
• If you are a public safety official
• Make contact with your national disaster
  management and radio licensing commissions

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Radio Amateurs (hams) help recovery efforts

• 9/11
• Hurricanes
• Tsunamis
• Earthquakes
• Chemical leaks
• Train derailments
• Blackouts

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How hard is it to get a ham license?
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What can hams do?

• Communications relating to
• Health and Welfare
• Property
• We cannot communicate about anything relating to
  business

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What can hams do?

• Business
• Turn your security radios over to the business
  and fill in with amateurs
• Public safety
• Augment your communications with amateurs
• Many PS systems are not interoperable
• Infrastructure could be down
• Hospitals, shelters, other deployments

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More Information

• http//www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/
• http//www.rac.ca/regulatory/plc.htm
• http//www.arrl.org/tis/info/part15.html

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Video
Ed Hare is the Lab Manager for the ARRL. Ed
drove to BPL trial areas in New York,
Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia to document
possible interference from BPL. This video is
available on the ARRL web site.
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