[HCDX] Goodbye DX?

["David E. Crawford" <DavidECrawford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Power Lines Spark Net Access  By Associated Press
Story location:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57240,00.html

03:45 PM Jan. 15, 2003 PT

WASHINGTON -- The same power lines that bring electricity to televisions
and toasters may become the next pathway into homes for high-speed
Internet access, federal officials said Wednesday.

They said the technology offers an alternative to cable and telephone
lines as a way to get broadband service, with its ability to quickly
deliver large amounts of data and high-quality video signals.

"Every power plug in your home becomes a broadband connection," said
Edmond Thomas, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Office
of Engineering and Technology. He said companies developing the
technology have overcome many hurdles in the past year.

"It's starting to look like a very viable technology," said Thomas, who
described the technology in a presentation to the agency's five
commissioners. "We're very excited."

But it is uncertain whether most consumers will get to use it anytime
soon, said Mark Uncapher, senior vice president with the Information
Technology Association of America, a Washington-based trade group.

"It is still very much an open question just how commercially feasible
it is," he said. "It's going to need a company or companies that are
really going to champion it."

Internet access over electric lines would be similar in capability to
connections over cable modems and telephone DSL, Thomas said.

Such an alternative could lead to more competition and lower prices,
Uncapher said.

The FCC has been studying the technology for several months and will pay
more attention to it this year, Thomas said. He said no regulations
prohibit the technology, but the agency is concerned that Internet
transmissions carried over power lines could emit signals inside and
outside the home that could cause interference.

"We want to make darn sure this isn't going to cause problems to your
TV," he said.

Utility companies PPL in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Ameren in St.
Louis are conducting trial programs with consumers to test the
technology, representatives of the companies said.

"It is working," said Alan Shark, president of the Power Line
Communications Association, which is promoting the technology. The trade
group includes Internet companies including Earthlink and 11 utility
companies that provide power to about 30 million homes.

Earthlink, the No. 3 Internet service provider, has been in talks with
utility companies, exploring partnerships to develop and market the
technology, said Dave Baker, the company's vice president for law and
public policy.

"The engineering challenges are largely being overcome," Baker said.
"The biggest challenges now are getting the product to market."

Shark said the technology works by sending information over existing
electric power lines. Cables carrying high-speed Internet information
would likely be linked to electric lines after they have left power
stations. Internet connections could then flow directly into the power
outlets in homes and offices or to an outdoor pole that broadcasts a
wireless broadband signal to a neighborhood.

The current technology cannot send signals over high-voltage lines that
carry greater amounts of electricity to isolated areas, Shark said.

Shark said the technology has other potential benefits, including
helping utilities monitor the condition of power lines and providing a
backup communications system for communities worried about terrorism,
natural disasters or other emergencies.


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David E. Crawford
Titusville, Florida
United States of America
28.51N 80.83W
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