When you think about the variety of ways to connect to the Internet, you probably think of either dial-up, cable Internet, and more recently, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). One of the biggest challenges faced by providers of Internet service in the United States has been how to provide higher speed broadband services to the underserved market, who are often referred to as the “last mile” customers. This is particularly true for those in the rural areas, but also in urban areas where one would think high-speed access wouldn’t be a problem.

Much of the broadband Internet access we take for granted today takes advantage of existing telephone and cable infrastructure through phone and cable installations. The same line for your television cable allows Internet service, and more recently your phone line service supports high-speed Internet access via DSL. Most residential consumers will find monthly packages for the Internet portion of services generally running about $29 per month. These offer much faster connection speeds than traditional dial-up and are competitively priced.

However, there still remains the challenge of how to tap into new or underserved broadband markets in the United States and remaining profitable doing so. Wireless point-to-point systems, such as the residential-based DirectWay Satellite services and similar point-to-point wireless networks are helping somewhat to close the broadband gap, but what other competitively based “wired” based broadband technology options are there on the horizon?

High voltage Internet!

A relatively new alternative to provide high-speed Internet wired to those in need of service in the United States is known as Broadband over Power Lines, or BPL for short. This unique approach takes advantage of the existing power line infrastructure already reaching homes and businesses by “injecting” a high frequency radio signal that carries high-speed broadband Internet right to your nearest AC wall outlet. Subscribers of the service simply plug in a converter to the outlet and then connect their computer to surf at comparable DSL and cable Internet speeds. It’s perfectly safe, so no need to worry about your computer getting zapped or e-mail showing up on home appliances like your microwave (Bill Gates joke).

Is BPL new?

Not really. BPL has been in testing in Europe since 1999 with some limited success in markets, but not without problems. In the United States, testing began after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its Notice of Inquiry back in 2003. With a number of test pilot implementations under way, such as services in Raleigh, North Carolina and in Manassas, Virginia, many BPL advocates of the technology see this as another potentially cost effective means to provide broadband services to new markets on par with DSL and cable Internet services. Obvious supporters include power companies who see a potentially new revenue opportunity to lease use of power lines and grids to deliver Internet access to consumers. (Earthlink is actually piloting one such project with a power company in the United States).

Further, the FCC’s rather hasty embrace of the technology early on characterized BPL as the “third leg” in deployment for U.S. markets in moving forward in the worldwide race for broadband connectivity. However, there are also a number of detractors that are vehemently opposing BPL, which has created a significant amount of controversy regarding its deployment across the United States.

Can you hear me now?

The main opposition with BPL service has to do with severe radio signal interference it can cause within the 1.7mhz to 80mhz range. From time to time, we’ve all experienced the temporary inconvenience of having interfering noise on our favorite radio station signal while driving (electrical hum, clicking or blowing wind sound). This occurs when electromagnetic signals nearby within the same radio station frequency range you’re listening to interfere with or overpower it. Now, BPL won’t mess up your favorite radio station, but it’s creating significant broadcast interference in that same range currently used by amateur radio (HAM) operators, shortwave radio and transoceanic aircraft, to name a few.

Though we normally accept a certain amount of interference (i.e., radio station signal interference while driving), it’s usually short-lived. However, with BPL, some test markets are showing that the levels needed to keep the signal boosted to make it a viable high-speed Internet solution are literally broadcasting interference out from high power lines as far as two miles during some tests! Unless you’re an amateur radio operator, or use shortwave, you’ll probably not concern yourself with this controversy.

Will BPL be coming to your area soon?

Availability of service and its successful deployment will have significantly more to do with the economics of deploying costs of hardware and maintenance, rather than the lawsuits filed by those who report interference issues. At the time of writing this article, there is a service provider launching BPL service to the Grand Ledge market.

It will be interesting to see how this provider fares, as it does raise this question: If the homes and businesses who until now only had dial-up phone line Internet as an available option, and providers of DSL haven’t seen this market as a profitable venture to offer services yet, what are BPL vendors seeing that DSL isn’t?

		Doug Hilbert is a co-owner of the privately held family-run business PTD Technology, an Information Technology (IT) consulting firm located in East Lansing.