Winning Against BPL in Chambersburg,PA

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Winning Against BPL in Chambersburg,PA
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Presenters

• Dave Yoder - KB3HUC
• Milt Engle - N3LTQ
• George Harris - N3GH
• Todd McLaughlin - N3MMH

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Cumberland Valley Amateur Radio Club

• Founded in 1955
• A small club (approx. 66 paid members)
• Active in Public Service (RACES, parades , and
  races)
• Located in Franklin County, South Central
  Pennsylvania
• Not rich. At all.

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Getting Organized

• Get the Word OUT to local hams
• Mailed Flyer
• On Air Nets
• Email
• Meet Right Away to determine strategy
• Make sure local hams understand the goal is to
  WIN, not just protest.
• Set responsibilities for research
• Make contact with the media

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Getting Organized (contd)

• Find out WHO ARE THE DECISION MAKERS! ! !
• Make immediate contact with them, presenting
  hams as local resource
• Get a copy of whatever agreements or contracts
  are already done, find out what the NEXT steps
  are, and the TIMETABLE for them.

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Research Categories

• Web Sites
• BPL information
• FCC
• News Articles
• Field Trials
• Videos
• Trial costs

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BPL Information on Web

• BPL Investments Concerns
• http//www.google.com
• BPL - Broadbands Fools Gold
• http//www.dslreports.com/shownews/41546
• GoBPL - The BPL Website
• http//www.gobpl.com/index.html
• VVARA Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) Web Page
• http//www.vvara.org/broadband_bpl.html
• CQ Magazine BPL Info Central
• http//www.cq-vhf.com/BPL.html
• CityFreq Site
• http//www.cityfreq.com/

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FCC Information on Web

• Responses to FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• DERA (Disaster Emergency Response Association)
• http//gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?na
  tive_or_pdfpdfid_document6516182714
• The Boeing Company
• http//gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?na
  tive_or_pdfpdfid_document6516183088
• The Missouri State Highway Patrol
• http//gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?na
  tive_or_pdfpdfid_document6516182881
• COMMENTS OF IEEE-USA
• (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
  Engineers, Inc.)
• http//gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?na
  tive_or_pdfpdfid_document6516183235
• ShipCom, LLC (owns and operates 4 Maritime Public
  Coast Stations)
• http//gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?
  native_or_pdfpdfid_document6516185627
• NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information
  Administration)
• http//www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fccfilings/2004/b
  pl/

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News Article Examples

• Powerline Broadband Worldwide by Karl Bode
• http//www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/31652
• Japans Government Conclusion, The JARL News
  vol15, no. 4
• http//www.jarl.or.jp/english/4_libraary/a-4-1_ne
  ws/jn0208.htm
• Top-10 Watch Items by Rejean Beaulieu
• http//www.gobpl.com/investing_10.html
• BPL Risks by Rejean Beaulieu
• http//www.gobpl.com/subscriber.html

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Failed Field Trials

• Penn Yan, NY
• http//www.fltimes.com/main.asp?sectionID38arti
  cleID5387subsectionID121
• Raleigh, NC
• http//www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/06/2/
• Cedar Rapids, IA
• http//www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/28/2/
• Cottonwood, AZ
• http//www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/08/17/2/

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Videos

• All Available on ARRL Web Page
• Amateur Radio Today (Walter Cronkite)
• https//www.arrl.org/catalog/?item8861
• Broadband over Power Line Video
• http//www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/aud-vid.htm
  l
• BPL interference in Emmaus, PA
• http//www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/aud-vid.htm
  l

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Contacts

• Local Elected Officials
• Emergency Management Director
• Local Communications/ 9-1-1 Center
• Local Police or State Troopers
• Fire Chiefs
• ARRL, esp. Ed Hare (w1rfi_at_arrl.org)

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At The Consultants Show

• Maintaining a professional posture
• Be Inquisitive and ask detailed questions,
• persist politely
• Do not allow yourself to be lured into verbal
  traps
• Keep good notes and quotes

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Introducing Mr. Shpigler

• All systems radiate, and BPL is considered an
  unintentional radiator of the licensed radio
  spectrum. D. Shpigler September 16, 2004
• David Shpigler is/was
• Director of Research, United Telecom Council
• Partner, Electric Broadband LLC, licensee of
  Cottonwood trial
• Note www.electricbroadband.com is shutdown
  12/24/2004
• President of Shpigler Group

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BPL Fictions

• Zero Out of Pocket Expenses
• BPL will attract new Industry (HOW?)
• Your Town will be Categorized as a Technical
  Have Not but BPL will solve that.
• Notching solves all interference issues

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The Shpigler Group has listed the following as
current trials

• Penn Yan, New York , trial shut down
• Energy East
• indicates they will not use BPL based upon
  observations of the Penn Yan trial
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Alliant)
• Trial was shut down on June 25, 2004
• Raleigh, North Carolina (Progress Energy)
• Trial was shut down early in part due to
  interference
• Southern Maryland Electric Coop (SMECO) Eastern
  Shore of Maryland
• Costs of backhaul construction higher than
  anticipated

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BPL Costs of Trials

• Costs to Chambersburg Borough
• Lab Trial- 60,000.00
• Tech Trial- 120,000.00
• Market Trial- 160,000.00
• TOTAL 340,000.00
• But presentation on 9/13/2004 stressed no
  out-of-pocket expenses And these are only those
  admitted . . .

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Other Likely Costs

• Training for line workers
• Time away from core tasks
• Overtime for installation and service
• Additional regulatory issues during trials
• New equipment costs
• Possible infrastructure upgrades required for BPL
  to function
• Added wear on existing equipment

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Evaluation of the BPL Proposal

• Break Down Business Case
• Carefully examine the Assumptions
• Point out their extreme optimism
• Give true costs and realistic estimated returns
• Follow the money trail.
• Sales pitch, trials, equipment, training the
  check goes to one person!
• Show connections between suggested suppliers and
  discontinued field trials
• Let the facts speak for themselves.

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Weeding through the research

• Critical Read
• Note source view point
• Factually Supported or PR work
• Technically supported
• Rate Helpfulness to Decision Makers

PICK THE BEST!
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Presentation Documents

• Thoroughly referenced documentation
• Thick
• Paper
• CD
• Plenty of copies
• Public Sources
• Tied into Powerpoint Presentation
• Must look PROFESSIONAL

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Media Relations

• Keep in mind that reporters NEED A STORY! If you
  dont give them one- theyll find another one!
• Give them everything they need- same materials as
  Decision makers
• Make sure they understand what you want the
  Decision makers to do.

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Media Relations II

• Reporters ARE
• Under Deadline
• Under pressure
• Covering many topics
• Presenting both sides
• Need to check facts
• ALWAYS looking for a STORY

• Reporters ARENT
• usually hams
• interested in technical topics
• concerned about the outcome of a BPL fight
• YOUR FRIEND (but act like they are!)

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Media Relations III

• Be available
• Be patient
• Be prepared
• Be professional
• Be willing to think about what a reporter needs-
  quick facts, vivid comparisons, short quotes

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Power Point Presentation

• Presenters
• Hams are Internet consumers and Power Users
• Technically savvy
• Dedicated to Public Service
• Content
• Length (Max is 20 Minutes)
• Flashy (Colors, Pics, Videos)
• Factual
• Tied to Reference Materials
• Include on CD

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Aim at Decision Makers

• What do they want?
• Cost savings or profits
• What will they get?
• A lot of money wasted a lot of complaints, a
  system that wont work
• What are they afraid of?
• Not keeping their positions! (lawsuits, angry
  voters, etc.)

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What does it take to WIN?
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1. Be the Honest, Unpaid Consultant

• Research and support your statements
• Restrain your desire to punch the jerks
• Confront ISSUES straight on
• Support Decision Makers
• PROFESSIONALISM! (Its in short supply)

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2. Keep Everyone informed

• Decision makers- use all means to reach them
• Media- give them what they need, youll get what
  you want
• Hams- use e-mail, repeater, newsletters

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3. Get Stay Organized

• Clear goals
• Clear focus
• Clear responsibilities
• Clear spokespeople

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4. MOVE IT!!

• You have limited time.
• You are ALWAYS BEHIND the Consultant
• Your access to Decision Makers is limited, too.
• The Consultant is the EXPERT until YOU prove
  otherwise.

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Saving Ham Radio IS your job

• Because Nobody else can do it,
• Let alone DO IT AS WELL.

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Questions?