From: "Jerry W. Shepperd" <shepperd AT austincc.edu>
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Cc: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [Homestead] Plugging Into the Net, Through the Humble Wall Outlet
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 15:32:05 -0500
I live rural and have had to connect to the internet via a dial-up modem as
DSL or cable is not available. This has never been entirely satisfactory
as sometimes I get bad connections, slow connections, and occasionally get
dropped entirely. I thought it might be my modem, but was talking to a
person who lives approximately one-half mile away. He works for a computer
company and frequently telecommutes. He was experiencing the same problems
as I, which affected his ability to work from home. For a short while, we
had a satellite television service in our area, but they didn't get enough
subscribers and closed down. My neighbor bought some of their equipment,
modified it sufficiently so he could have his own ISP satellite computer
service. He put up a tower and now has wireless computer service. When I
mentioned my computer problems, he said that I might be able to connect off
his tower. He loaned me a wireless modem and router to try and I was close
enough to connect. I then had to buy my own modem and router and now my
computer is wireless, with instant internet access, using my neighbor's
"hotspot." I pay him a small fee for the privilege, but nothing close to
what I would have to pay for DSL or cable access.
I don't know enough about computer ISP services to even make
recommendations, but thought that this might be something some enterprising
homesteader could offer as a service to neighbors. One could charge a
small fee, and maybe make a little money -- at least enough to pay for the
equipment.
However, here is another option that may make internet service available to
a wider range of people, in particular rural residents, although in the
underdeveloped parts of the world, wireless may still be the best option.
Plugging Into the Net, Through the Humble Wall Outlet
By TOM McNICHOL
HIGH-speed Internet access usually comes to homes through one of two wires:
a telephone line for D.S.L. subscribers, or a coaxial cable for cable modem
users. But an emerging technology known as broadband over power lines, or
B.P.L., may soon offer a third wire into homes, channeling high-speed data
through a somewhat improbable conduit: an ordinary electrical outlet.
B.P.L. is the ultimate in plug-and-play. Users plug a small power line
modem into any wall outlet and then connect the modem to a computer with a
U.S.B. or Ethernet cable, or through a wireless Wi-Fi connection. The
appeal of B.P.L. is that most of the wiring for the network is in place.
Although data must be carefully routed over the electric grid to prevent
interference and signal degradation, there is no need to dig up streets or
rewire homes.
Two weeks ago the Federal Communications Commission adopted rule changes to
encourage the technology in the hope of making broadband more widely
available and fostering greater competition among high-speed Internet
providers.
Internet service over power lines is probably a year or more away from
becoming widely available, but the F.C.C.'s ruling is expected to spur
investment in B.P.L. by utilities.
"Three or four years ago, the technology was not ready for prime time, but
now we know it is," said Jay Birnbaum, vice president and general counsel
for Current Communications of Germantown, Md., which makes B.P.L.
equipment. "And we've gotten the cost down, so it's competitive with other
broadband services."
The idea of using electric power lines to send data is not new; companies
have been working on it for a decade. The major technical challenge has
been how to send bursts of radio frequency energy over power lines without
interfering with other radio signals, particularly ham radio and public
safety frequencies.
The recent F.C.C. ruling establishes frequency bands that B.P.L. signals
must avoid to protect aeronautical and Coast Guard communications, and sets
up a publicly available database for resolving claims of harmful
interference from private radio operators.
Cinergy is also marketing B.P.L. to smaller municipal and cooperative power
companies, particularly in rural areas.
"We felt those municipal and cooperative power companies are a terrific
market because many of those areas are underserved by D.S.L. and cable,"
said Bill Grealis, a Cinergy executive vice president.
Adding a data channel to the power lines also has potential benefits for
the utilities themselves. By reserving a sliver of the B.P.L. data channel
for themselves, power companies can use the network to identify problems
and accomplish troubleshooting remotely, rather than sending out a crew.
Down the road, utilities could install Internet-enabled meters and switches
to offer automated meter reading, power demand management and time-of-day
pricing.
"Our main interest in B.P.L. is using it to better manage our utility,"
said Bob Dobkin, a spokesman for Pepco, which is based in Washington. Pepco
has a pilot B.P.L. program in about 500 homes in Potomac, Md. "It enables
you to identify problems without having to send someone out."
While B.P.L. holds promise, there are unanswered questions about the
technology. One F.C.C. commissioner, Michael J. Copps, dissented in part
with the commission's recent action, saying the agency had failed to
address issues such as whether electricity customers pay higher monthly
bills to subsidize their utility's foray into broadband.
"We're great on technology, but not so good on working out the rules of the
road," Mr. Copps said. "Nearly all of the industrialized nations except the
U.S. have national plans for broadband. We don't have any comprehensive
strategy."
Mr. Copps and others note that the United States has lately become a
broadband laggard; it ranks 13th in the world in broadband penetration,
behind countries such as Japan, Korea, Denmark and Iceland. Many believe
one main reason is cost. While Americans typically pay $40 to $50 monthly
for a D.S.L. or cable modem connection, the Japanese, for example, pay $10
to $15 a month for even faster connections.
American broadband consumers, in short, get less bit for the buck.
Will B.P.L. bring down the cost of broadband?
Mr. Grealis of Cinergy will say only that the cost of a B.P.L. connection
will be competitive with D.S.L., cable and wireless. It remains to be seen
whether the third wire into the home turns out to be a cheaper alternative
or more like the third gas station on a corner, battling the competition at
remarkably similar prices.