UTC Canada and UPLC lend support to consultation on broadband over powerline

The United Telecom Council of Canada (UTC Canada) and the United Power Line Council (UPLC) have thrown their support behind the proposal Industry Canada put forward regarding the regulation of broadband over powerline (BPL) technology (SMSE-005-05). The two associations believe the rules strike an appropriate balance between promoting BPL deployment and protecting against interference. The following is an edited excerpt of their November 28 submission to Industry Canada. While UPLC and UTC Canada believe that the proposed rules take a conservative approach towards BPL given its low potential for interference, at this stage the rules strike an appropriate balance between the interest in promoting BPL and the interest in protecting authorized radiocommunications from harmful interference. UPLC and UTC Canada believe that Industry Canada should revisit these rules from time to time to determine if the safeguards proposed in the consultation paper on BPL are still appropriate. Broadband over powerline represents a valuable technology that will help fill the gaps in the availability of commercial broadband services, provide competition for access and data services, and finally provide an important but often understated function in improving electric utility operations and enhancing the delivery of electricity. As a reliable supply is important to every Canadian, we feel that regulatory oversight should not apply to BPL applications involving internal utility applications, nor should the BPL system be subject to access requirements. Similarly for the instances in which BPL is used for commercial telecom applications and services through a BPL operator, we submit that the telecommunications services, applications and associated supporting network infrastructure should be forborne from CRTC regulation for operators that are, or fit in the category of a non-dominant carrier. We support Industry Canada’s efforts in adopting technical rules that are harmonized with those adopted by the within the United States. This consultation paper on BPL marks an important step towards promoting the successful and harmonious deployment of BPL in Canada. The FCC recently established technical and operational rules for BPL systems, and because of the similarities between the U.S. and Canadian distribution systems, Industry Canada concludes that, "BPL manufacturers will view Canada and the U.S. as a common marketplace." In that regard, "Industry Canada believes that technical harmonization with the U.S. is an important step towards facilitating the deployment of BPL technologies." BPL technology continues to develop and one of the key issues to its mass market commercial deployment will be promoting economies of scale and scope for BPL equipment. These improved economies will increase the availability of equipment and reduce its costs. To the extent that the technical rules in Canada are consistent with those in the United States, naturally greater economies of scale are possible. As Industry Canada has recognized, BPL brings many benefits, including promoting broadband access and competition, as well as electric reliability and efficiency. As such promoting BPL would demonstrably serve the public interest. In addition, the FCC has concluded that the potential of harmful interference from BPL is low and can be effectively managed through the use of interference mitigation techniques, such as frequency shifting or frequency notching. As such, harmonizing the rules with the U.S. would effectively protect authorized radiocommunications systems from harmful interference. Overall, UPLC and UTC Canada generally support the proposals within the consultation paper on BPL, which should promote the deployment of BPL while protecting authorized radiocommunications services from harmful interference. UPLC and UTC Canada believe that harmonizing the rules with those recently adopted in the U.S. will remove potential regulatory barriers to entry in Canada and facilitate the widespread deployment of BPL by promoting economies of scale and scope that will reduce costs and promote mass market production of equipment while enabling BPL-based utility applications and commercial broadband services. The safeguards to protect authorized radiocommunications services proposed by Industry Canada are conservative, and should be revisited to determine whether they are still appropriate after more experience is gained from BPL deployments in the field. Similarly, UPLC and UTC Canada believe that Industry Canada should continues to monitor international developments in order to adjust its rules to remain consistent with any revisions to the U.S. rules, including the equipment authorization requirements and the interference mitigation capabilities.

UTC Canada and UPLC lend support to consultation on broadband over powerline

News | 12/08/2005 5:00 am EST

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