Public funding in limbo for New York BPL project

Responding to a recent ARRL inquiry, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) says it has not yet agreed to provide public funds to promote the Briarcliff Manor, New York, BPL project.

Under the belief that NYSERDA was already providing money for the project, the League copied the Authority on its fourth and latest request to the FCC to shut down the BPL pilot operated by utility Consolidated Edison and BPL developer
Ambient Corporation.

Gunnar Walmet, NYSERDA's director of industry research and buildings, said March 28 that NYSERDA has been unable to reach a contract agreement on the Briarcliff Manor BPL project and has no status in it at this point.

"On the other hand, no public money has been spent yet either," Walmet continued. "It is still our hope to reach agreement, but this length of unsuccessful negotiation is not particularly encouraging."

Last June, Con Ed and Ambient announced a funding award, pending final contract negotiations, to enhance the BPL project. The ARRL promptly wrote NYSERDA asserting that acknowledged interference from the Briarcliff Manor
installation violates the Communications Act of 1934 and questioning the propriety of a public grant. According to the announcement, NYSERDA planned to provide up to $200,000 of the project's $480,000 cost. Walmet said March 28 that NYSERDA's involvement, if any, would be limited to funding "aspects of the project and monitoring the results."

"Our hope continues to be that solutions can be found for technical problems with the use of PLC [BPL] and that innovative energy benefits can accrue to New York utility customers," Walmet told ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "The proposed project would illuminate and evaluate these potential benefits and the critically important issue of whether PLC as practiced by Con Ed in Briarcliff can be made fully FCC compliant."

In a reply April 1, Sumner reiterated that the reason for his original letter last June was "to raise the question of whether a project that was in willful violation of the Communications Act was deserving of public funding." Sumner told Walmet that not only does the original question remain, it's now joined by another: "whether corporations that make such misrepresentations are qualified to receive public funding."

The ARRL has charged Ambient and the FCC with being unwilling or unable to effectively deal with harmful interference stemming from the Briarcliff Manor BPL pilot project. It's asked the Commission pull the plug on the
system until Ambient addresses interference complaints. Sumner assured Walmet that the ARRL will continue to call ongoing violations in Briarcliff Manor to the FCC's attention until the agency takes corrective action.

Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The American Radio Relay League

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