This week the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) issued a statement on
its stance towards PLC/BPL in Australia:

"Proposals for Power Line Communications or Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)
in Australia concern many users of the radio frequency spectrum, including
radio amateurs. WIA President, Michael Owen, VK3KI has said that the WIA's
position in relation to BPL is that it supports increasing broadband access
and broadband competitiveness in Australia, but in a way that does not cause
interference to legitimate users of the High Frequency spectrum. The WIA
supports the development by the ACA (Australian Communications Authority) of
policies for BPL that protect existing users.

The WIA believes that one of the problems associated with BPL is that trials
on a limited basis are not good indicators, and that the full effects of a
problematic technology will not be seen with such trials. The WIA considers
that BPL will not really serve the community's long run needs because of its
limited bandwidth. A deep fibre network is to be preferred to using long
runs of power lines.

The WIA has appointed a team to deal with this issue. WIA President has
appointed Phil Wait, VK2DKN the director responsible for developing and
advocating the WIA's position in relation to BPL. He has asked Owen Duffy,
VK1OD Barry White, VK2AAB and David Wardlaw, VK3ADW to assist Phil, as the
WIA's BPL Team.

A report on a recent small trial in Hobart of BPL to some 4 houses and 2
floors of the Aurora building is on the WIA website.

(via Mike Bird and Media Network)