Now take this to its likely conclusion, from the BPL consumer's point of view. Say the BPL consumer gets not only his or her Internet access on the BPL, but also the VoIP (as some BPL operators are touting).

If the traditional, relatively interference-free "POTS" (Plain ol' telephone service) phone service is removed and the BPL consumer has his only phone service on BPL, what happens in the event his or her BPL system is interfered with by a licensed transmission? It shuts down, that's what.

Take this even further; say the BPL consumer is making an emergency call for medical or police assistance on his or her BPL phone service (over a cheap piece of equipment no more expensive to make than a cheap baby monitor) and because a licensed radio transmitter is in the area, that consumer's BPL system shuts down? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the possible outcome -- is someone's well being or even their life worth risking on a flawed technology like BPL?

The ham radio heritage
What many in the BPL consortium, and likely some consumers who read the negative comments about BPL from the ham community, fail to appreciate is that hams pioneered most, if not all, of the RF and digital communications that consumers and businesses alike take for granted.

Hams had hand-held, two-way radios capable of placing phone calls on the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) over 3 decades ago. Some of the first communications to and through space satellites was done by hams. Hams have paid for (out of their own pockets), and had launched, dozens of communications satellites.

Hams have put in place vast networks of voice and digital RF repeater networks, linking large areas of the country with a powerful, and free to any licensed ham, a voice communications network. And again all of this at their own expense, as they are prohibited by FCC rule from accepting any monetary payments for their efforts.

Without question the largest private digital and voice networks in the world have been put in place by hams.

Digital packet X.25 (aka AX.25 in the ham community) systems were put in place years before either businesses or the government began using them. The ham community, seeing the future of the TCP/IP network, secured for themselves an entire class A IP addressing scheme. If you ever see a 44.xxx.xxx.xxx IP address, it originated from a ham radio digital station.

People think WiFi and wireless Internet is so cool, and it certainly is, but hams pioneered RF wireless TCP/IP networks a decade before anyone but the government and some colleges and universities knew what the Internet was -- actually before it was even called the Internet (no, we didn't invent it, but we were certainly there in it's infancy).

So, while hams are made out be some to be these old codgers on ancient radio transmitters talking to one another about nothing in particular, most hams actually are under 50 and highly technical engineers and technologists in the RF, wireline, satellite, power transmission, and digital fields.