October 25, 2004—Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Pat Wood, III and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell recently issued a joint statement encouraging development of broadband over power line (BPL) communications services, noting the emerging technologys potential to provide competitive choices for customers and improve power supply system reliability.
The joint statement cites the potential for BPL to “improve communications for the American public and enhance power supply system management.”
The statement was released at a meeting of the Federal Communications Commission, two days after Chairman Wood, Chairman Powell and FERC Commissioner Nora Mead Brownell on Tuesday toured BPL facilities at the municipally owned electric utility in Manassas, Va. The citys utility system is among the first in the nation to widely offer broadband communications services over its electricity system.
“This technology holds tremendous potential, not just in providing new avenues for communications services, but in helping electricity systems operate more efficiently and reliably,” said Chairman Wood. “Its a potential win-win for customers, and the most important thing we can do here in Washington is help make sure existing rules and regulations dont get in the way of this promising new technology,” he added.
Given that BPL can offer broadband services through any electrical outlet, Chairman Powell cited the technologys potential to provide “ubiquitous service to all Americans at affordable rates.”
The joint statement notes that BPL can improve power supply system communications and operations, enhance security against physical and cyber threats, aid in the development of distributed generation and advanced metering, promote energy conservation through customer and utility control of appliances and equipment, facilitate demand management and better grid utilization, and improve system monitoring and outage detection.
