New Outlet for High-Speed Access

In a broadband world dominated by cable and DSL, the vision recently put forth by top U.S. telecom regulator Michael Powell of a high-speed Internet connection in every electrical outlet may seem a bit far-fetched.

After all, broadband over power line, or BPL, services are currently available in only about a dozen communities nationwide, and even then only on a trial basis. The first commercial service -- to be deployed in Manassas, Virginia -- isn't expected to launch until summer. And so far, power companies have been reluctant to spend the vast sums required to retrofit aging networks for data.

But now that they've overcome some of the technological hurdles that plagued past experiments, power companies and networking providers are out to prove that BPL can be a viable business. While critics point to past flops -- including high-profile projects by Nortel Networks and Germany's Siemens -- BPL believers say the power grid is too big to be ignored as a data channel.

"We're piggybacking on the world's largest infrastructure. It's that simple," said Philip Hunt, CEO of Amperion, an Andover, Massachusetts, company that makes equipment for sending data over medium-voltage utility lines. In recent years, Hunt said, BPL technology has also improved, providing faster speeds and less interference.

Last week, the nascent industry got a boost in the form of a proposed rule from the FCC. The agency said it intends to establish standards for reducing interference from data transmissions along electrical lines, in response to complaints from amateur radio operators.

In individual statements, FCC commissioners also praised the potential of power-line technology to bring broadband to areas ill-served by cable and DSL. Powell said he welcomed the day "when every electrical outlet will have the potential to offer high-speed broadband and a plethora of high-tech applications to all Americans." Commissioner Kevin Martin touted BPL as a possible means to "bring Internet access and high-speed broadband to rural and isolated areas."

Read complete article at: Wired News

Author: Joanna Glasner

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