Broadband Over Power Lines is a concept that has been floating around for years. But problems with interference and other technical limitations have made it seem like vaporware. Apparantly recent advances have given BPL proponents a boost. Two power companies in California are now going to begin testing the technology. Unfortunately PG&E is not one of them.
This article from Cnet spells out the details. If it works, BPL could provide more competition for broadband services which should drive down prices. Additionally, BPL could be a viable alternative in rural areas that are not likely to see DSL or cable reach them any time soon.
Thanks to Gregg Foster for the news tip.
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I know there was some concern that this would mean an end to HAM/low power/amateur radio. Have you heard anything to the contrary, or do you know if “they” have addressed these issues?
That has been one of the concerns about interference. I don’t know if that issue has been addressed yet. But I would assume, if not, it would be during this test phase. I doubt very much that BPL would be deployed if it caused disruption of those kinds of services.
[...] After my initial post on the BPL tests to be undergone in CA, I did a little research. Readers had raised questions about the technology, specifically about the interference BPL causes with radio signals. I had assumed, and still assume the tests would take the questions over the technology in to account. But I think it’s valuable to bring these issues to light. There are many web sites devoted to the technology, both pro and con. But an article by Jessie Seyfour of the San Jose Mercury News summed up the issues quite nicely: For one thing, it’s slow. Present technology allows it to run about as fast as DSL at its slowest, said Juan Fernandez, an analyst with Gartner. High-end DSL and cable services are five to eight times faster. [...]