This is an excerpt from a bpl reflector.  I suppose this man's comments could be considered to be coming from an official of the ARRL.  Should we be concerned?
 
Bob -- W6RGG
 
 
----- Original Message -----
 
From: K8qoe@aol.com [mailto:K8qoe@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 10:48 PM
To: bpl local reflector

Subject: [BPL-LOCAL:69] Re: cinergy corp rollout


In a message dated 8/17/04 23:19:01, xytek@commspeed.net writes:



portion of the state, and many customers were signed up, our radio club wonders if it could be stopped at that point.

 

We can understand the importance of valid data and solid engineering reports when measurements are taken regarding RFI.

 

 Our Committee is concerened that if the Cincinnati rollout was deployed over a large area with many thousands of customers would the utility really listen at that point.  Perhaps it may be more prudent to meet this head on in the trial area look closely for interference and hope the complaints have an effect.  Here in Cottonwood our Committee concentrated on a small area looking for inteference and it was there.  See our website at  www.vvara.org

 

Sincerely,

 

Robert Shipton, K8EQC

Verde Valley Amateur Radio Association

BPL Committee Chairman

Cottonwood, Arizona

 





               Sorry Robert but it is time for a reality check. I know everyone wants the Cincinnati area to get busy, making reports, filing motions with the courts and the FCC. To me, this would not serve any useful purpose.
               Cinergy is a six billion corporation with operations in four states. They are starry eyed about this and have invested millions before the first bill was mailed. There is not going be any "early" interference talks. There is not going to be any FCC investigation at this time. None. Our only recourse is to prove that the problems outweigh the trouble and that public service agencies (air traffic controllers???) are involved. This depends on Cinergy having a buildout in place for us to test.
               This isn't any small town market or some locally financed utility. This is a $6,000,000,000 corporation. Why do you think Cincergy's BPL plans made Page One of the Wall Street Journal? See anyone else getting that high powered press? The first two neighborhoods have 8,000 home units  (about 27,000 population) with permission to proceed to an area covering 300,000 population. A couple of neighborhood interference readings (which would takes lots of manpower) won't faze Cinergy in the least
               Since this buildout is gonna happen anyway, we may as well prepare.
               In short, no band of hams with interference readings will do anything right now but produce laughter in the Cinergy Corporation offices. Like it or not (and we in Cincinnati, of course, do not), this is the way it is.
               I'm doing all I can to prevent what you propose. WHY???? Because ham radio operators looking like a bunch of cowboys, running around with equipment trucks in the BPL affected neighborhoods, will remove any leverage we may have. We intend for the local hams to be credible at all times - to Cinergy, the local media and to the civil authorities.
               In short, in Cincinnati we are not in school at recess. The big boys play here.

Joe Phillips, K8QOE
Ohio Section Manager