Broadband Over Powerline's Poster Child Pulling The PlugYears later BPL's proponents have gone, but shoddy city network remains... 02:23PM Thursday Nov 19 2009 by Karl Bodetags: fcc · business · BPL · networkingManassas, Virginia was the first US city to see a real, non-trial launch of broadband over powerline (BPL) technology. However, BPL has floundered the last few years because of its inherent potential for interference with amateur and emergency radio, its irrelevance in the face of next-generation speeds, and the unavoidable fact that many utilities simply didn't want to be broadband providers. After buying the flailing network from companies who once heralded it as proof BPL was a major broadband player, the city has spent a total of $1.6 million on it, and pour in an additional $100,000 or so every month. With city residents lured away by faster alternatives, leaders have had the network on life support for months, and are still debating over whether to pull the plug: "I think we need to get out of BPL forthwith," Way said Tuesday at a city council special meeting. "It's not a good product. The whole business is not financially sound and it never has been." With the $24.95-a-month service averaging fewer than 600 residential customers and roughly 50 business customers a month, there was not enough money coming in for salaries, maintenance and recouping the initial investment. "It's costing a little more to maintain the system than we projected in the budget," Moon said. "The original projections were that the customer base would be double this." It's unfortunate for Manassas, which was hailed by BPL hardware vendors and former FCC boss Michael Powell as the pinnacle of broadband achievement just five years ago. Those companies (like Comtek, who took at adversarial role against those worried about interference) have since moved on to pitch their hardware to energy utilities as part of smart energy networking solutions. Powell, who once called BPL the "great broadband hope," has since moved on to a life of highly paid work at telecom think tanks. The city however still sits struggling with a technology and cash-guzzling network that's become entirely irrelevant. Related:- Wednesday Evening Links
- New Docs Show FCC Glossed Over BPL Flaws
- 'New' FCC, Same Regulatory Rubber Stamp For CenturyLink
- Google Voice Ban Is Clear Network Neutrality Violation
- FCC: Please Define Broadband
- Cox Scraps App-Specific Throttling Trials
- Wireless Industry Proposes Low Power TV Spectrum Grab
- FCC Clears Spectrum For Verizon, AT&T
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 decifal
join:2007-03-10 Bon Aqua, TN | yeah yeah, I knew this would happen with bpl.. Last mile people could've benefited from it.. But at the same time.. Too many conspiracy's.. | |
|  |  |  |  |  moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21 Glen Burnie, MD
·Verizon Online DSL
| Re: yeah Yeah, that guy hasn't been seen since 2004 a month after he started posting.
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|  |  |   Mactron el Camino Real Premium join:2001-12-16 CM94sv | Re: How unfortunate! Don't. Forget Amigoboy...  | |
|  |  |   rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04 USA | Re: How unfortunate! ...and ctceo, PDXPLT, insomniac, and a few dozen gamers here who thought BPL would rule the world.... | |
|  |  |  |  moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21 Glen Burnie, MD | Re: How unfortunate! There was another idiot who used to post anonymously pumping BPL stock. I think he FINALLY registered as 200MBps BPL. | |
|  |  |  |  |   rf_engineer
join:2003-08-04 USA
| Re: How unfortunate! I forgot about him. He also posted frequently on a BPL investor board and had crappy videos on Youtube of pro-BPL videos playing on his TV that he taped using his cell phone (a video of a TV playing a video). He had a female Youtube account and put sex-related terms in the video names to get search engine hits. He also had a BPL blog and a website with a gazillion links. I doubt he made a cent on that stock as he probably bought most of it while it was at $4. These days it's at about $0.15. Of course, you could have loaded up at $0.05 six months ago and made a killing 
BPL illustrated for me what money, greed, politics, lobbyists, marketing, bad engineering, and ignorance can do. I think a book could be written on this tech misadventure. | |
|   happyindeed
@comcast.net
from: wvcaver 
| This snake has many heads... While it warms the cockles of my heart, I'm afraid this is not the end of this absurd attempt to foist a flawed technology down our throats and antennas. The FCC still is not convinced by its own tests and expert opinions. Google and IBM have big buck on this bad bet. But we can hope. | |
|  |   whizkid3 Premium,MVM join:2002-02-21 Queens, NY | Re: This snake has many heads... "This snake has many heads"..
You mean 'snake-oil'...
I guess we owe our Amateur Radio friends a debt of gratitude (as always). | |
|  moonpuppy
join:2000-08-21 Glen Burnie, MD | Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, ..GOODBYE!
Crappy tech that had no future. Glad to see it gone. | |
|  |  |  |  |   jeffhambone Peace, through superior firepower Premium join:2002-02-02 Manassas, VA
·Comcast
| Re: Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, That stake should be labeled "FiOS", I think. Verizon's been all over this part of PW county for the last month installing innerduct and fiber. Not sure they've been working inside Manassas corporate city limits but the handwriting appears to be on the wall.  -- Sarcasm is the Body's Natural Defense Against Stupidity | |
|  |  |  |   whizkid3 Premium,MVM join:2002-02-21 Queens, NY
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
| Re: Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, said by jeffhambone :That stake should be labeled "FiOS", I think. There is no stake. The vampire had no legs, no arms, no eyes and no brain to begin with. It couldn't get out of its own coffin. | |
|  |  |   bjl Premium join:2002-05-02 Newport Beach, CA | Re: SCE offers internet where does that page say they offer internet? | |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |   bjl Premium join:2002-05-02 Newport Beach, CA | Re: SCE offers internet I think that's referring to problems with using their website. | |
|  |  robertg1234
join:2004-04-19 Palo Alto, CA
| said by Anonymous_ :So Cal Edison offers it SCE offers internet bundling with the usual incumbent providers. They also offer free cable and wireless at their campsites (why have TV and internet when you're camping .. I don't get it ..).
SCE, like a lot of other utilities are investing in 'Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)" to automate meter reading, via slow speed BPL of sorts. Definitely not the high speed BPL you see right now. | |
|  jay_rm
join:2002-04-12 Netville | hehehe
AMIGOBOY - another of your pet project boosters has bit the dust !
Ohhhhhhhhwell | |
|   kv5e Ride Free Premium join:2001-12-04 Mesquite, TX
| I feel the warmth over the demise Hmmmm...Toasty |
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|  |  Sammer
join:2005-12-22 Canonsburg, PA | Re: I feel the warmth over the demise Not quite dead yet, for some unknown reason they're still debating rather than admitting that pulling the plug is inevitable. | |
|   batterup I Can Not Tell A Lie. Premium join:2003-02-06 Netcong, NJ clubs: | I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.
FiOS works but Verizon has no money; they spend it all on advertising and law suits. Enjoy your competition and third world network. The people deserve it; Ma Bell is dead and yet the people bitch. | |
|   calvoiper
join:2003-03-31 Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Another ploy exposed.... From time to time the ILECs humor their detractors by propping up some competitive endeavor, only to let it fail later and thereby discourage funding for other competitive options with more chance of success.
BPL, with its Powell support, is an example of this.
calvoiper -- VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! | |
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