The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology list of experimental licenses granted between Oct. 1, 2006 and Nov. 1, 2006, includes WD2XZO, which authorizes San Diego Gas and Electric Co. to operate on 1.7 MHz to 80 MHz to test Broadband on Power Lines mobile and temporary fixed location operations in its service territory. Although this spectrum does not include Tijuana TV Channel 6, the Fox station in San Diego, it does include the low VHF channels used in Los Angeles, which are seen in some parts of San Diego, and also that of Channel 3 in Mexicali.
In the license application, SDG&E said it would use the experimental license to "collaborate with manufacturers to test multiple aspects of the equipment, including its performance, capacity, signal quality, data rates, spectrum interference potential and to develop construction standards compatible with utility practices." Each of the BPL pilots, SDG&E said, will include up to 20 overhead and 20 underground control/communication devices. SDG&E said the pilots would observe the notching requirements contained in Part 15.
The FCC also granted Centerpoint Energy Inc. licenses for BPL testing in Houston, Richmond and Las Palmus, Texas. The maximum frequency authorized in these licenses is 34 MHz, well below the frequencies used for TV broadcasting.
Other licenses listed used spectrum (L-band and microwave) unlikely to affect broadcast operations.
