Regulations threaten deployment of Powerline Systems in Canada

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June 13, 2009: Industry Canada, the regulatory body in Canada, has released the 2nd version of its regulations (ICES-006) for Powerline systems (AC wire carrier current devices). This regulation covers systems that use the powerline for communications, including Broadband Powerline systems.

This is the first update since the first version in 2001. (Note: A large number of companies through CABA were actively involved in development of that first version.)

The latest version has some significant changes that may very well affect the industry:

• Added a definition of in-house Broadband Powerline systems
• New testing procedure

The added definition of in-house Broadband Powerline systems is the same as the FCC definition, but excludes aerial (overhead) powerlines. This means that Broadband Powerline systems in Canada whose signals may leave the premise to go up to pole-mounted transformers (feeding multiple premises, a common procedure in Canada) will not be covered by ICES-006 - they will need to meet the upcoming Access BPL regulations. The Access BPL regulations have not yet been released, but are expected soon to be released. Similiar to the FCC, these solutions require more complex products with frequency-agility.

The primary reason for the approach in the initial development of version 1 of ICES-006 was to simplify the process for manufacturers by defining conducted limits. Adding the new test procedure in version 2 conflicts with this fundamental principle, and could add unnecessary costs for manufacturers.

There is a comment period that ends in September.

In summary, this new version of the regulation could have a significant detrimental effect for Powerline systems being deployed in Canada, even for Home Area Networks and the Smart Grid.

Next Steps
We hope to assimilate a group to look at this and potentially respond with comments - by combining our resources, we can respond more effectively, not only to this immediate issue of ICES-006, but also to the looming Access BPL regulations. If you would like to join our initiative at addressing these issue, please contact ask for Ludo Bertsch at (250) 592-1488 or email us at powerline@horizontec.com.

References
Gazette Notice SMSE-004-09
ICES-006 Issue 1; 2001
ICES-006 Issue 2; 2009