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Story: Broadband over power lines gets poor reception

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PLC, also know as Broadband Over Powerlines is being touted as the ideal way to provide broadband to the rural Internet users at a reasonable cost. It will not do this as the current cost per customer in urban areas is $30/month just for et up and operation.

The two test plants herenear Rochester, NY both pulled the plug on their setups when the cost analysis came in. There is a major interference issue on PLC also, but the final argument was decided due to the money.

Rather than wasting tens of millions, if not billions of dollars on a flawed system, the utilities should invest, as partners, in WiMax. WiMax will need towers for the transceivers in the Hinterlands and utility poles would be just perfect. A marriage of the utilities and an ISP would be benificial to both, would provide true high-speed ccess to the rural areas and not wipe out the shortwave and low VHF spectrum out in the process.

PLC/BPL is being pushed due to the politiics rather than the science. Keep the politicians in Washington and out of our back yards out here.

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