Given that there are many diverse options for broadband, the rewards of BPL are relatively minimal to most Americans. We understand that BPL implementations may reduce the operating costs for electrical utilities, but we don't see that cost reduction worth the possible risk to our emergency services infrastructure, ground-to-air communication, police and fire response, and, yes, Amateur Radio operators.

We do believe BPL is a technology with promise. However, until all the organizations arrayed against BPL stand behind a reliable, non-interfering design, we believe an uninterrupted radio spectrum is far more important than a single BPL implementation.

We advise Computing Unplugged readers, when faced with the inevitable discussion about BPL implementation in your communities, to share the concerns and conclusions reached in this article.

James Booth is Editor-at-Large at ZATZ Publishing. In addition to writing for Computing Unplugged and Connected Photographer, he's the author of Do-It-Yourself Wedding Photography. A self-taught photographer, James also dabbles in digital graphics and has learned to be a PC and handheld specialist through personal trial and error. James can be reached at jbooth@zatz.com.