Statements on their Current policy on BPL/PLC

As of press time no official information has been received!

The Greens policy for communications is still under development, and
broadband over powerlines is an issue that we haven't considered, so thank
you for drawing our attention to it. I will endeavour to have the issue
raised in future discussions of communications policy.

Ray Walford
co-Policy Coordinator
with Peter Christoff

"Labor is cognisant of the need to ensure that radio frequency interference issues are appropriately dealt with prior to any widespread roll out of BPL. BPL is an important alternative delivery mechanism for broadband which looms as one of the most important economic enablers of the 21st century.

It is therefore equally important that compromises are made to ensure it is given every chance of success. The Australian Communications Authority will no doubt be carefully considering interference and spectrum issues to come up with a solution that treats all parties equitably.

Labor certainly wants to ensure that amateur radio operators continue to have access to some spectrum to support their activities."

In addition to the above form letter sent to the Webmaster; Lindsay Tanner responded to an additional letter dated 12 September 2004 from Martin Howells, State Co-ordinator of ACREM-NSW asking for more information and why a form letter was sent. (Published with permission from Martin Howells).

"My office receives hundreds of letters and emails every week, and I read
every single one. Feedback and suggestions from the community are critical
to policy development. Unfortunately, due to the staffing constraints that come
with being in Opposition, it is not possible to formulate an individualised
response to each inquiry. That does not mean that I am dismissive of the
significance of your concerns.

As my previous correspondence with you and your members has indicated, I
am well aware of the important role that HF radiocommunications fulfils in
regional Australia. I also believe that rural Australians deserve access to the
best of 21st century technology, and the flood of correspondence on the lack
of access to broadband in the country attests to the demand for such a
service.

HF radio spectrum is a crucial means of communication for rural Australians. I
believe that the ACA can find a compromise that satisfies the needs of both
HF radio operators and potential BPL users, and it's an issue that I will be
actively pursuing once in Government."

Yours Sincerely

Lindsay Tanner MP
Federal Member for Melbourne
Shadow Minister for Communications (Former)

As of press time no official information has been received! Although the ACA has apparently approved its deployment with the first being Skynetglobal. https://www.skynetglobal.com/default.asp?objectID=233

It would be safe to assume that current government policy is to approve its operation. They appear to be just copying what the FCC is doing in the USA.