IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 230

To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 

Communications Commission should reconsider and revise rules governing 

broadband over power line systems based on a comprehensive evaluation 

of the interference potential of those systems to public safety services 

and other licensed radio services. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 21, 2005

Mr. ROSS submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the Federal Communications Commission should reconsider and revise rules governing broadband over power 

line systems based on a comprehensive evaluation of the 

interference potential of those systems to public safety 

services and other licensed radio services.

Whereas comprehensive studies and actual measurements to 

date undertaken by the National Telecommunications Information Administration have determined that 

broadband over power line creates a ‘‘high risk’’ of radio 

wave interference, and that harmful interference to public 

safety mobile radio receivers can be expected at distances 

of 75 meters from the power line where broadband over 
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•HRES 230 IH 

power line is in operation, and at distances of up to 460 

meters from fixed stations, such as VHF police or fire 

dispatch communications facilities; 

Whereas that same National Telecommunications Information Administration study determined that broadband 

over power line interference to aeronautical and airline 

travel communications could be expected at distances up 

to 40 kilometers from the center of the broadband over 

power line system, and that interference to outer marker 

beacons for airline instrument landing systems could be 

expected at great distances as well; 

Whereas the VHF low band (30–50 megahertz) is used by 

many public safety agencies, including emergency medical 

services, fire, and law enforcement as well as public safety support services; 

Whereas in 13 States that band is used for State police operations, of which 9 States (California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, 

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming) utilize that band as their primary 

radio band; 

Whereas a result of that use the Association of Public Safety 

Officials, Inc., and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council, urged that action in the 

broadband over power line docket at FCC be withheld for 

at least 12 months, pending a conclusive determination of 

the radio waves interference potential of broadband over 

power line to public safety and radio systems below 80 

megahertz; 

Whereas comments filed in the FCC proceeding by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which uses a statewide radio 
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system with over 1400 users in the VHF low band, stated that the overall effect of broadband over power line 

implementation will be a potentially significant increase 

in interference to the mission of critical public safety 

communications; and 

Whereas the FCC has struggled for years to resolve widespread instances of harmful interference to the 800 

megahertz communications of our heroic first responders, 

and should not have proceeded with introduction of a 

technology which appears to have substantial potential to 

cause destructive interference to police, fire, emergency 

medical services, and other public safety radio systems, 

operating below 80 megahertz, VHF low band without 

first conducting a comprehensive evaluation thereof: Now, 

therefore, be it

1 Resolved, that it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) the FCC should reconsider and review the 

4 rules adopted pursuant to its October 28, 2004, ac5 tion in the broadband over power line proceeding, 

6 which could disrupt public safety radio systems; 

7 (2) the FCC should conduct a full and complete 

8 radio wave interference analysis involving field stud9 ies and broadband over power line test demonstra10 tion systems, to determine the actual, measured ef11 fect of broadband over power line on public safety 

12 systems, and a comprehensive interference analysis, 
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•HRES 230 IH 

1 with the participation of public safety agencies and 

2 organizations, and other interested parties; and 

3 (3) the FCC should allow extensive public re4 view and comment on this study, and the results of 

5 the study, and a summary of the public comment 

6 thereon should be published before broadband over 

7 power line systems are deployed pursuant to rules fi8 nally adopted in the FCC’s ET Docket No. 04–37.

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