thanks frank,
as always, much appreciated. Do you think it is possible that perhaps people have been bitten to many times by the UTE's and hence gun shy of any opportunities. last mile does seem tough, but from a non scientist perspective, what do i know.
is it a fact that power lines cant supply the high speed potential? could they theoretically hook into an optical backbone. could there be a synergy b/w UTes (power cos) and telcos or cable operators? all hypothetical questions, which need not be answered. just throwing some stuff out there.
here is what poster Curmudgeon44 wrote on fool today in response to this.. boards.fool.com
excerpts
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" Personally I am a very skeptical person, but I don't see things as gloomily as Mr.T. However it still seems like this technology has its full share of problems. Recently the EnergyBiz Insider email letter (from Energy Central, sign up free) had an article on the topic. Some excerpts are:
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"...DSL and cable Internet services may be more mature than BPL but development of broadband is ongoing. There is always room for new ideas and new players -- a role that could involve utilities and their prized distribution assets..."
"...While there's been a lot activity in recent months, some are pulling out. PPL Corp. has ended the market trial of its BPL service for residential utility customers in Pennsylvania. President David Kelley called the broadband over power lines technology "promising" but said "the combination of a competitive marketplace and the need for significant scale" led it to decide not to become a retail communications service provider..."
"...It's less a question as to whether BPL is technologically feasible and more of a question as to whether it can be economically viable. Manassas, Virginia made the leap from field trials to commercial offerings. A few hundred there use these services while another 1,200 are on a list to get hooked up for the $27 a month service that involves no installation fees or long-term contracts. Duquesne Light Co., meantime, is offering BPL service to 2,800 customers in the Pittsburgh area and for $30 a month..."
"...Here's how BPL works: Power line adaptors at substations take the data that is sent over the Internet and convert it to frequencies that can be channeled over the distribution lines. Power-socket modems split the data from the electricity so that the two don't bounce against and off each other and disturb the connection..."
"..While there is a lot of promise, there are also some concerns. Specifically, utilities' wires are generally "slow" and "noisy." What that means is that fast Internet traffic would somehow have to jibe with the lower-frequency electric power. Because electrical wires are noisy, they interfere with data transmissions that require general tranquility, although the latest "couplers" may be able to overcome these problems. Amateur radio broadcasters, however, are not persuaded and say that adding a signal to power lines interferes with their pursuits..."
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One observation I would make is that after more than a decade of research, the largest projects are still at the pilot-project size. A utility must expand this to a larger business to remain competitive, and somehow I doubt they can do that.
Hope this helps -- C44
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have a great one,
ron |
