Press Release

Allen Pitts, W1AGP
Media and Public Relations Manager
(860) 594-0328
apitts@arrl.org

ARRL Stands By Its Word as BPL Spins

Newington, CT  Dec. 17, 2004 -    In a press release yesterday, Ambient CEO John J. Joyce accused the ARRL of taking statements out of context and ignoring recent developments that contradict the ARRL’s conclusions.  By going after the messenger and not the message, Mr. Joyce’s remarks try to deflect negative information about BPL’s future that is not simply the statements or conclusions of the ARRL but the summation of EarthLink written by Attorney Mark J. O’Connor, EarthLink’s counsel, in a public letter sent to the FCC as recently as November 17, 2004.

To quote the entire second paragraph of the O’Connor letter:
“EarthLink discussed that it has invested in and is in trials with several potential ‘third wire’ broadband transmission paths to the home, including WiFi, WiMax, MMDS, and broadband over power lines.  However, EarthLink pointed out that cable and DSL still account for virtually all consumer broadband connections and that none of these alternative technologies offer a commercially viable alternative today or in the near future.”

The full FCC filing then goes on to present charts and data to support EarthLink’s conclusion.

According to Dave Sumner, CEO of the ARRL, the national association for amateur radio, “We accurately reported Earthlink's submission to the FCC and stand by our report.  Anyone who wishes to do so can read the submission for themselves.”

http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6516883843

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