Tower owners may find out this week what steps the FCC will take to mitigate migratory bird collisions with communications towers. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to deal with that issue is on the agenda for the FCC's Open Meeting Friday.
This is not a new topic. I covered it more than seven years ago in RF Current for Sept. 27, 1999. I was surprised to see all the links in that article still work. To read up on the issue, visit the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Web site and www.towerkill.com.
Another item of interest on the agenda is the United Power Line Council's Petition for Declaratory Ruling Regarding the Classification of Broadband over Power Line Internet Access as an Information Service. The FCC will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order concerning this topic. While Docket 06-10 does not consider interference to communications services, if the United Power Line Council's petition is granted, it would regulate access broadband over power line (BPL) the same as DSL and cable modem services. As UPLC stated in their petition, "Classifying BPL as an information service will remove any regulatory uncertainty which could discourage investment in and deployment of BPL systems."
For more information on the petition and to view comments filed in the proceeding, use the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System and enter "06-10" in box number 1, "Proceeding."
