When the FCC released the Report and Order announcing the new rules restricting BPL and its interference, most of the Commissioners offered statements about the importance of addressing interference effectively.

Commissioner Michael J Copps: " I remain concerned with the question of interference to amateur radio users. I take the concerns of this community very seriously, and believe that the FCC has an obligation to work hard to monitor, investigate, and take quick action where appropriate to resolve harmful interference. If interference occurs, we must have a system in place to resolve it immediately. If an amateur radio user makes a complaint and an agreement between the BPL provider and the amateur radio user cannot be reached, the FCC should step in and resolve the matter. These cases must not take years to resolve."

Commissioner Jonathan S Adelstein: "I take seriously our obligation under Section 157 of the Communications Act that 'it shall be the policy of the United States to encourage the provision of new technologies and services to the public.' I am fully committed to that mission to promote new technologies, and to provide a framework for innovation so they can succeed. In order to do so in this case, though, we must ensure that sufficient protections are in place to limit interference concerns.

"Recent Access BPL test deployments have been very useful in developing techniques to address interference issues. It is clear that some Access BPL systems can co-exist very well with existing licensees in the HF and VHF bands. In the limited cases of increased interference, the Access BPL operators were able to quickly resolve and address the interference problem. Other Access BPL systems, though, have not fared so well, and these systems should not be deployed on a commercial basis if they will continue to result in harmful interference.

"We have put in place on Access BPL some special rules that are not normally required of Part 15 operators. However, I believe that these restrictions and requirements, such as adaptive frequency selection, remote shut down control, and a publicly available Access BPL database, are critical to providing an operational environment that safeguards existing licensees from harmful interference. I am also pleased to support our specific requirement for Access BPL providers to promptly respond to complaints of harmful interference from public safety licensees."

Commissioner Kathleen Q Abernathy: " We believe the new requirements we are imposing will help minimize harmful interference that may occur and, to the extent any harmful interference does occur, to quickly resolve any issues."

Commissioner Kevin J Martin: "In this Order, we have attempted to facilitate deployment of BPL while ensuring that existing users are protected from harmful interference. Working closely with NTIA, we have taken strides to address interference concerns of both Government and private users. Nevertheless, I recognize that Amateur radio operators still have concerns that they will experience interference from BPL systems. In addition, broadcasters are concerned that BPL systems will cause interference in the low VHF band. I take these concerns - as well as the other concerns expressed about BPL systems causing interference - very seriously. I am confident that the Commission will continue to monitor these concerns and will take steps, where needed, to address interference problems going forward."