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news.com.com/Broadbands+ ··· g=cd.topBut policy disputes and expensive failures largely have been the hallmark of BPL. In 1999, for example, Nortel Networks, a telecommunications equipment maker, and the British energy company United Utilities abandoned a two-year BPL project.
Because BPL uses the radio frequency signals sent over medium- and low-voltage AC power lines to connect customers to the Internet, it can cause interference with HAM radios and emergency radios. Power lines, it seems, are great and often overpowering antennas because of their length and height off the ground.
In 2004, the FCC released a set of rules governing the use of BPL to prevent interference. Most BPL equipment deployed today keeps to these limits.
"I think the issue of interference has been a little overblown," said Bob Gerardi, manager of power line communications for Duke Power, based in Charlotte, N.C. "Some of the first-generation equipment had some problems, but the latest technology adjusts the power levels to avoid any interference."
With many of the technical issues ironed out, BPL is slowly getting deployed. More than 50 utilities across the country are looking into it. Duke Power, along with Progress Energy in Raleigh, N.C, and Consolidated Edison in New York, is one of three power companies currently in trials with EarthLink.
Duke began its trial with 500 homes and plans to launch a commercial service to 10,000 to 15,000 homes by the end of this year, said Gerardi. The company, which will rent access to its network to ISPs such as EarthLink, said it will be able to handle high-speed data services at 512kbps to 5mbps, along with voice over IP services. The cost of the service will likely be about $30 a month.
