logo of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

A recent Broadband over Power Line World article contains a link to another article on the site of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the leading ham radio operators association, which reports on a new complaint filed by the ARRL with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the alleged failure of Con Ed and Ambient Corporation to resolve on-going issues regarding radio frequency interference (RFI) with amateur radio operations in the Briarcliff Manor, NY, area.

Included in that ARRL article were these paragraphs:

"ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, shared a copy of the ARRL's latest complaint to the FCC and Ambient with the New York State Emergency Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), which has provided public funding to the Briarcliff Manor project. Utility Consolidated Edison and Ambient announced the NYSERDA funding award last June. Sumner reminded NYSERDA Director Gunnar Walmet of Walmet's statement last summer that the project would require Con Edison to 'continually monitor possible radio interference' from the BPL demonstration.

"'I respectfully submit that Con Ed has failed to meet your requirement,' Sumner told Walmet. 'It has been almost nine months since I first brought this situation to your attention. What is NYSERDA's response that I can share with our 152,000 members?'"

Broadband over Power Line World today contacted NYSERDA and interviewed Tom Collins, its Director of Communications, to find out about the New York State authority's relationship with the on-going BPL trial in Briarcliff Manor, New York.

Mr. Collins told Broadband over Power Line World that "at this point we do not have a signed contract so we are not doing anything currently at the moment with regards to what's going on there."

"At the moment we are not providing any financing. We do not have a contract to do that at this point," he said.

Asked if NYSERDA was currently negotiating a contract with Con Ed to provide them with financial support, the authority's spokesperson said that "Yes. We are working towards that at the moment….at the moment, we have not done any contracts."
He also said that NYSERDA has no regulatory power over the Briarcliff Manor-Con Ed-Ambient trial, adding that that was the responsibility of the FCC.

You can listen to this exclusive BPLW interview with Tom Collins, Director of Communications for the New York State Emergency Research & Development Authority, in its entirety by clicking here.