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ARLB011 ARRL Requests Filing Deadline Extension in BPL Proceeding

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ARRL Bulletin 11  ARLB011
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  April 14, 2004
To all radio amateurs 

SB QST ARL ARLB011
ARLB011 ARRL Requests Filing Deadline Extension in BPL Proceeding

The ARRL has asked the FCC to extend the deadline for comments and
reply comments by 45 days in the Broadband over Power Line (BPL)
Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in ET Docket 04-37. Comments
now are due by May 3 and reply comments by June 1. Although the FCC
does not routinely grant such extensions, the League said it wants
to allow time for the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) to conclude its study at BPL field trial
locations. The ARRL said it anticipates the NTIA report to go public
on or around April 16, thus allowing only a couple of weeks at best
to evaluate the study's results and incorporate its findings into
comments in the proceeding.

"This proceeding stands to have a profound effect on the Amateur
Radio Service, and a full and complete opportunity to evaluate the
results of the NTIA study is critical to the ability of ARRL to
respond in a meaningful manner to the proposals in the instant
Notice," ARRL said in filing its request April 9. "At the same time,
there is no need for any rush to judgment in this proceeding, since
BPL trial sites are only now commencing operation."

If the FCC okays the request, the comment date would move to June
14, and the reply comment deadline would become July 16. Granting
the request, the ARRL contended, "will have no adverse effect on any
interested party to this proceeding."

The League said the new deadlines would provide everyone with
approximately 60 days to review and evaluate the NTIA study before
having to file comments.

A copy of the ARRL's Motion For Extension Of Time To Submit Comments
is available on the ARRL Web site at,
http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et03-47/arrl-motion.html .

For more information on BPL, visit ARRL's Broadband Over Power Line
(BPL) and Amateur Radio page at, http://www.arrl.org/bpl/.
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