[CQ-Contest] Article on BPL

[George Harlem W1EBI]

Tom Lewis wrote a terrific book in 1991, "Empire of the Air--The Men Who
Made Radio."  It was made into a special on PBS a few years ago.  One
paragraph particularly struck me:

"Despite Edwin Howard Armstrong's formidable experimental
triumphs--bouncing a radio signal to the moon and sending FM signals
beyond the horizon, he was frustrated by the political world, which so
often prevailed over the scientific.  He was a failure in this world of
politics, for he misunderstood its power over scientific inquiry.  Once
again, as he had in his suit over regeneration, Armstrong watched
competent engineers in thrall to a large corporation bend their
judgments to suit the will of their employer.  He watched in disbelief
as the Federal Communications Commission dismissed his findings, which
he had based on empirical evidence, as nothing more than self-serving
arguments.  Yet the FCC accepted the arguments of the broadcasting
industry, which he knew to be entirely self-serving."

I can't help reading this as an eerie parallel to the flawed technology
of BPL and the political clout of the electric power industry in
reaching the White House with its own pitiful pursuit of diversification
into Internet services.

George W1EBI