Mitchell, an amateur radio operator, lets other ham operators know by e-mail the time and radio frequency where the two can carry on a conversation over airwaves.

``It is a proven system of communication,'' Mitchell said recently about using a two-way radio.

But that almost century-old method of communicating appears on a collision course with a relatively new technology that allows people to access the Internet at high speeds through electrical wires in their house, business and community.

The Federal Communications Commission, which licenses radio operations, is studying broadband over power line, or BPL, because electrical wires reach nearly every U.S. household. The FCC believes allowing utilities to provide high-speed Internet access over their wires could quickly expand broadband to communities not reached by cable and digital subscriber lines.

The five-person commission is expected to draw up rules in two or three months for power companies to roll out commercial use of the technology, said Fred Thomas, chief of staff of the FCC's office of engineering and technology.

Utility officials hail BPL as a boon for their companies and their customers. The service gives consumers - especially those who live in rural America - high-speed access to the information highway. At the same time, it allows power companies to tap into another revenue source and gain data to better control the electrical system.

But people who communicate by radio - from amateur operators to federal agencies - say the widespread deployment of BPL will be a bust in the United States because radiation in the high-frequency and very-high-frequency broadcast spectrums will interfere with critical radio communications during disaster recovery and from emergency, police and fire agencies, among others.

``Personally, I don't think it should be allowed,'' Mitchell said.

The American Radio Relay League, which represents 681,000 ham radio operators, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are among those seeking to block broadband from traveling over power lines.

FEMA and amateur radio operators have written the FCC, arguing that BPL is a threat to radio communications.

While amateur radio is largely a hobby, many ham operators serve as part of the nation's emergency and military communication systems, radio operators said.

The loss of radio communication could affect the economy because of its importance to national security, emergency preparedness and recovery, maritime shipping and the military, among others, some radio operators contend.

Alan R. Shark, president and chief executive officer of the Power Line Communications Association, thinks broadband over power line will reach between 750,000 and 1 million customers by the end of 2004. He said there are no solid figures for what utilities have invested in BPL because no single business model has emerged for financing the venture.

Progress Energy Inc., the parent company of Progress Energy Florida in St. Petersburg, has conducted a BPL trial. The company still must decide whether it will invest in BPL and, if so, whether to do it through a partnership or on its own.

TECO Energy Inc., which serves portions of the Tampa Bay area, says it isn't considering BPL.

Shark called complaints from radio operators hysteria based on flawed studies. He also said claims that BPL will disrupt radio communications among typical emergency services - fire, police and emergency medical services - are untrue because those operations broadcast at higher frequencies.

``The good news is the FCC is literally checking this,'' Shark said. ``I like to believe science and reason will prevail over politics.''

How BPL Works

BPL, which transmits a communication signal through electrical lines to connect computers to the Internet, operates in the high-frequency, or HF, and very-high- frequency, or VHF, spectrums, the same used for communication by operators of shortwave, amateur, citizens' band, aeronautical, government and military radios.

A spectrum represents a range of frequencies used for radio communications.

``Interference is a problem, of course,'' said Jim Haynie, president of the radio league. ``But what everyone is concerned about is spectrum pollution, and that's what [BPL] is going to be. You reach a point where the spectrum becomes unusable.''

The FCC recognizes the finiteness of a spectrum for the transmission of sound, data and video, so the agency and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration work to protect against interference while encouraging efficient use of a spectrum, according to the FCC's Web site.

Thomas, the FCC chief of staff, said it's too early to determine what will be recommended to commissioners. But the FCC will try to balance the ability of radio operators to broadcast with allowing utilities to pursue BPL.

``It's important to protect incumbents and come up with an outlet for BPL,'' Thomas said. ``That's essentially what we'll be trying to address in the rule-making.''

No date is set for commissioners to discuss and decide on broadband over power line, Thomas said.

Disallowing BPL would cut off a pipeline to new revenue that would help some electric utilities looking for financial renewal in 2004. Broadband over power line trials in some states have proved successful for utilities, promising future unregulated revenues.

Increases in orders for communications equipment also would boost the telecommunications industry, which has been in a slump like the power industry, Shark said.

League Battling BPL

While there would be no direct monetary impact on radio operators if BPL goes forward, the ultimate effects might be realized if the two technologies cannot coexist, Haynie said.

``I can see how any [chief executive officer] would have to take a look at this,'' he said. ``Our complaint is not BPL. It's whether there is interference.''

Ed Hare, laboratory manager for the radio league, reported in a November 2002 study that BPL ``will probably result in severe local harmful interference over a wide area.''

In its battle to halt the march of broadband onto electrical wires, the radio league has devoted several pages of its Web site to making its argument, citing studies about radio interference and providing information about FCC rules, broadband and amateur radio.

Under the headline, Broadband Over Power Line (BPL) and Amateur Radio, the Web site says: ``Stop the assault on ham radio!''

Mitchell, the Polk County ham operator, said the FCC should understand that an additional method of high-speed Internet access is unnecessary. Broadband is available to many through cable, DSL, satellite and fiber-to-the-home, he said.

But those in the utility industry argue that power lines are virtually everywhere, giving people broadband in rural communities where cable, DSL and fiber optic cable aren't and where satellite access can cost $70 a month.

In comparison, the average price of cable broadband is about $40 a month; DSL costs $30 to $35; and BPL is expected to be about $30 a month.

The United Power Line Council is an alliance of electric utilities and technology companies pushing the development and adoption of BPL.

Brett Kilbourne, the council's associate counsel and director of regulatory services, called claims by radio operators unfounded and unwarranted. He said utilities are prohibited from interfering with other communications devices, and claims of interference from broadband over power line are based on conjecture and abstract theory, not hard science.

If BPL were to block out radio signals, the utilities would be responsible for clearing the interference, Kilbourne said.

``We're fairly confident we comply with the FCC's rules,'' he said. ``We haven't found any wide-scale interference issues. We haven't seen any evidence that suggest we couldn't coexist.''

Reporter Will Rodgers can be reached at (813) 259-7870.