[Jeffhs]

The interference problems BPL will likely cause are not new by any means; local interference has been a problem for BC DXers and hams since the beginning of radio. For example, I live in an apartment building, and when anyone starts anything with an electric motor or a microwave, etc. it causes the devil of a lot of interference in my AM radios. During the day, all I can hear when this is going on are the big 50kW stations from Cleveland and Detroit (the noise all but completely chops out my favorite oldies station and a big-band/standards station 50 miles from here, not to mention appearing between stations from about 550 to 1400 KHz or so and completely wiping out weak signals in that range as well).

I don't think, however, that BPL will put an end to DXing; it will just make it more difficult, if and when the technology becomes widespread (which I am really not too sure will happen, at least no time soon). The FCC is a government agency, as we all know, and the government is usually very slow to get anything going. Witness the foot-dragging going on with HDTV.