In some ways, the broadband over power line industry may be in a position similar to where the broader Internet sector was during the drafting of the 1996 Telecommunications Act: It is a nascent, but promising sector, with little money to spend on lobbying, and is being overshadowed by the policy fights of deep pocketed telecommunications, media and cable companies.

While House Energy and Commerce Committee aides are taking pains to make sure no technology is excluded as they draft legislation to reform portions of the 1996 Telecom Act, there are some in the broadband over power line BPL — sector that worry their development could be hindered if they don't do more to communicate with Capitol Hill. BPL involves technology that enables high-speed data services to be sent over existing power lines in the signal range left unused by electric utilities.

"We are concerned thatas the telecom bill is being consideredthat it hasn't taken into account thoroughly enough the potential of BPL," said John Joyce, president of Ambient Corp., a BPL firm based in Newton, Mass.

Added Jay Birnbaum, vice president and general counsel at Current Communications Group, a Germantown, Md.-based BPL company, "Congress should [rewrite the Telecom Act] in a way that shouldn't leave technologies that are burgeoning out in the sidelines ,"

While neither firm can afford high-priced lobbying firms to work Capitol Hill, the two are doing what they can to make sure their voice is heard by lawmakers.

Both are members of the United Power Line Council — the association that represents utilities and technology companies in the sector, and which has been educating lawmakers and staff on BPL. And both Ambient Corp. and Current Communications Group have hired some public relations help in Washington: Current is working with Qorvis Communications, while Ambient is working with Christopher Coursen, president of The Status Group.

A big concern for BPL companies is amateur ham radio operators, who form a powerful grassroots network. They worry the radio operators might influence lawmakers to slip a measure into the developing telecom bill that would slow BPL growth.

At issue is that some versions of BPL technology interfere with the airwaves used by radio operators, as well as those used by emergency responders. "We are seriously concerned about interference issues with BPL," said Allen Pitts, a spokesman for the American Radio Relay League.

The ham radio operators have been trying to get the FCC to reconsider rules the agency laid out last October to limit signal interference by BPL firms. Pitts said the ham radio operators believe the FCC did not go far enough — and were successful in convincing Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. in April to introduce a resolution urging the FCC to reconsider the rules.

Brett Kilbourne, director of regulatory affairs at the United Power Line Council, said that the FCC has determined that radio operator complaints are "manageable," while adding that BPL members are working to address the interference concerns.

As things heat up on the Hill and at the FCC, there is growing momentum on Wall Street for BPL growth. On July 7, Current Communications Group announced that the Wall Street investment firm of Goldman, Sachs & Co. had invested in the company as had a major media company, the Hearst Corp., and the Silicon Valley-based search engine firm Google.

Meanwhile, on July 21, Ambient said it would be rolling out a BPL trial for San Diego Gas & Electric Co. And, a week earlier, IBM said it would run a BPL project for CenterPoint Energy, a Houston-based power company.

"I think this is the year where you'll see a lot of commercial deployments" of BPL, said Kilbourne. That should ensure that BPL will have an increasing role as various telecom bills take shape in Congress.