I’ve always wondered why the military and academics haven’t been more opposed to broadband over power line (BPL) systems. Maybe they were just being cautious, I don’t know. In any case, the November issue of the IEEE Communications Magazine has an article on this very topic.

“Potential Effects of Broadband Wireline Telecommunications on the HF Spectrum” describes a report by a NATO research group that does indeed say that BPL systems (they call them PLT, or power line telecommnication systems) have the potential to degrade military communications.

The articles conclusion reads:

[The group's research] indicated that there is a high probability that PLT would cause increased noise levels at sensitive receiver sites given the existing and projected market penetration. These increased noise levels would have adverse effects on military communications and COMINT systems, and also outside the military community on any HF spectrum users that typicaly operate in low-noise regions.