John,
I think our only hope may be this:
The FCC usually takes a long time (months, sometimes years) before ruling.
Now, if we can make the argument that BPL as proposed will backfire on them,
I would suspect that they won't make said ruling until after the election.
IE, keep the promise alive for the balance of the campaign, and then...
Of course, if we make the argument, and the Other Guys win, this could
backfire on us... they could then pass everything between the election & the
inauguration and live the Other Guys a mess to clean up (think it couldn't
happen? When Dick Thornburgh won election as Governor of PA, one of the
last acts of outgoing Governor Schapp was to cave in & sign a binding
agreement with the EPA regarding strict controls on auto emissions. We're
still living with the results of that mess today)
Regardless... as I've said before, the deck is stacked, it's an uphill
fight, or pick any other cliche you prefer, but if we do nothing at all, we
let them walk all over us. At least if we put up a fight, we have a chance
to, if not stop this now, have grounds to stop it later.
Oh, and as far as the eHam posters are concerned... haven't you noticed that
most threads degenerate into either an anti-ARRL blast or another tired
code/no-code hack? At least, that's when the posters don't start in on each
other. So I wouldn't let the vocal micro-minority disuade you.
73, ron wn3vaw
"Badgers? Badgers!?! BADGERS!?!?! We don't need no stinkin' BADGERS!"
-- Raoul, Raoul's Wild Kingdom, "UHF"
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Rippey" <w3uls@3n.net>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 2:56 PM
Subject: [TenTec] Anti-BPL Campaign
I'm afraid the last-ditch effort to derail the Bush campaign's promises
regarding broadband services via BPL will be of no avail. By now, it seems
obvious that FCC Chairman Powell got the bright idea months ago that this
technology could be a plus for a President (remember his 2000 rival
"invented" the Internet) not known for his technological orientation.
Someone at the White House bought into it, and it seems set in concrete.
(Last week was not the first time the subject has come up in a Bush
campaign speech.)
The NTIA report appears to say there are problems, perhaps even serious
ones, but that they can be dealt with. At any rate, between now and
November it's doubtful whether anyone at the White House will pay much
attention to objections, nuanced or otherwise, to the spread of this
technology. After the elections, it could be a different story. One can
always hope.
About a year ago eHam.net posted an article of mine arguing that the ARRL
needs more members. The onslaught of anti-ARRL sentiment this article
generated was sobering. So I would have to say that in a hotly competitive
world, the amateur radio service is going into battle against BPL with its
lobbying arm woefully underfunded and undermanned for what may be a true
watershed for the hobby. You're not going to find Tommy Boggs, Timmons &
Co., or Covington & Burling on the ARRL's payroll, for example. You're
talking millions of dollars, money the ARRL doesn't have.
My experience with writing the eHam.net article has led me to conclude that
as much of the blame for the current crisis lies within as it does without.
73,
John, W3ULS
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