FCC gives Broadband Over Power Line a second chance

It's once more into the breach for the Federal Communications Commission's efforts to authorize Broadband Over Power Line technology. On Friday, the agency issued a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, asking for feedback on the power levels Access BPL systems should operate at so that they don't interfere with other services. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) stopped this process dead in its tracks last year, having raised concerns about the transparency of the proceeding and BPL's potential for messing with ham radio signals and other bands. But the Commission is sticking to its guns, arguing that the technical standards it has already set may still be sufficient—at least, with a modification or two. BPL's critics "do not provide convincing information" that the FCC should change course, the NPRM says.