Art Bell sounds the alarm on broadband over power lines, known as BPL, a technology that would send internet signals through unshielded electrical wiring across America. Joined by Jim Haney, president of the American Radio Relay League, and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, Art explains how BPL would blanket the entire shortwave spectrum with interference, destroying ham radio, citizens band, emergency communications, and international broadcasting. FEMA filed comments warning the FCC that BPL would make high-frequency radio unusable, yet the commission appears to be pushing the technology forward under corporate pressure.
The discussion highlights the surveillance implications of two-way communication capability in every electrical outlet, with appliance manufacturers already developing chips that could monitor household activity. Several countries including Japan and the Netherlands have already rejected BPL after testing revealed severe interference problems.
In the second half, Art speaks with Dr. David Race Bannon about his nearly 20 years working for Interpol in a secretive subdirectorate code-named Archangel, tasked with tracking international child sex trafficking rings. Bannon reveals that his team functioned as assassins targeting those involved in the trade, and discusses the moral complexities of vigilante justice within an international law enforcement organization.
