Monday, November 03, 2008

British Telecom to Continue Specifying Spectrum Polluting Equipment

In a move that surprised everyone with any knowledge of the current situation, British Telecom has renewed its contract with Comtrend to buy its DS2-based PowerGrid 902 home networking adapters for another year.

This is despite full knowledge that the normal on-spec operation of the DS2 chipset continuously transmits a strong signal across most of HF, except for an audible reduction in known international amateur bands. Utility and international broadcasting DXing (including DRM) cannot co-exist with this technology, and everyone knows it.

It is obvious that BT intends to deploy this equipment in millions of homes throughout the UK, while solving the few interference complaints on a case by case basis. Note that this solution requires that the users of the home video system will approve installation of a hard-wired network. If they don't, the complainer will need a new hobby. Too bad about all that money they spent on receivers and equipment. The only recourse left will be a long, expensive, and unpredictable test case in the courts, against extremely well funded and connected corporate interests.

To show how well this approach is working, note the case of longtime Utility Logs contributor "Mike" in West Sussex. He is on something like his third round of Ofcom complaints and technician visits by Ofcom and BT to his neighbors. Every time one is resolved, a new one starts up within a matter of weeks.

It should now be completely obvious that public access to short wave radio is now considered expendable by most of the world's governing bodies. Maybe someone will try to change this, and maybe they won't.

Here's the announcement.