Power line data clots digital radio
Broadband over power lines interferes with an emerging digital radio standard, its backers say
The BBC is carrying a story about concerns that using power lines to carry broadband signals could interfere with an emerging digital radio standard called Digital Radio Mondiale.
Power line data transmission emits signals in the shortwave and AM radio bands, and ham radio operators in the U.S. are already up in arms over the potential loss of their technology. Digital radio services are also moving forward in the U.S., but haven't settled on the Mondiale standard. New evidence of interference – particularly if it prompts AM radio spectrum owners to lobby the Federal Communications Commission – could slow down the development of power line data.