Dave, Good reply! - Bill N3LLR -----Original Message----- From: "Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ" <dsumner@arrl.org> Subj: [arrl-odv:13359] ARRL complaint re BPL database Date: Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:56 am Size: 3K To: "arrl-odv" <arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> ARRL complaint re BPL database Yesterday I received the following response from Bruce Franca, dated November 22, 2005, to my complaint about the BPL database [arrl-odv:13197]. Dear Mr. Sumner: This is in response to your letter dated October 14, 2005 regarding the Office of Engineering and Technology's announcement that United Telecom Council (UTC) will serve as the Access Broadband over Power Line (BPL) database manager. In that letter, you charge that the BPL database maintained by UTC, as currently configured, fails to comply with Section 15.615 of the Commission's rules. (47 U.S.C. Section 15.615.) You specifically are concerned that inquiries by the public are limited in number and that access to the information in the database is available only by Zip Code area. You maintain that the restrictions are not consistent with the requirement for a publicly available database contained in Section 15.615(a) of the Commission's rules. (47 C.F.R. Section 15.615(a).) You ask that the Commission re-evaluate the database provided by UTC and either declare it noncompliant or work with UTC to fully meet the requirements for public access to all information in the database, free of unsupported restrictions. Your concern, limiting access to the database, does not constitute a violation of the rules. Subsection (d) of the subject rule clearly states that the purpose of the rule is to permit identification of possible sources of harmful interference that is suspected to be caused by an Access BPL system. 47 C.F.R. Section 15.615(d); see also Report and Order in ET Docket No 04-37, 19 FCC Rcd 21300, 21301 (2004). Permitting individuals who are using a licensed service that operates on the same frequencies as are used by a BPL system to query for pertinent information in the geographic area of that interference fully fulfills this function. As the Commission concluded in the Report and Order, Zip Codes are easily understood and can be identified by all parties and thus provide an organized approach to accomplish this objective. Database queries will provide the information required by our rules for BPL systems deployed within a Zip Code. I hope this has been responsive to your concerns. If you have further questions, please contact me. Sincerely, Bruce Franca Acting Chief Office of Engineering and Technology After coordination with Chris Imlay, this morning I sent the attached reply. Dave Sumner, K1ZZ Franca4.doc