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Broadband Over Power Lines: Coming Soon?

Decaffeinated Jedi writes "With technology improving and costs droppings, News.com offers up an interesting report on renewed interest in delivering broadband Internet access via power lines (a technology known as BPL). Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission proposed a new set of rules for utility companies that might want to offer BPL services as a way to 'encourage broadband for the entire United States' -- particularly hard-to-reach rural areas. As the article notes, EarthLink has already started testing BPL service in using power lines leased in Wake County, North Carolina. Could cable and DSL face a new competitor in the broadband market in the near future?"

18 of 376 comments (clear)

  1. 1st post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    1st post

  2. Help! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I just came home early from school and caught my dad masturbating over pictures of Britney Spears! What should I do?!

  3. Now new and improved vaporware from Enron! by F34nor · · Score: -1, Troll

    That's right now for only 19.95 a month we will use your capital to finance offshore tax havens for our executives. But wait there's more if your order today we can influence energy policy through cronyism! No guarantees, send money now!

  4. creators' newclear power plan available now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    that's right, this stuff is unbreakable, wwworks on several (more than 3) dimensions, & is sum of the base kode for the creators' increasingly popular planet/population rescue mandate.

    consult with/trust in yOUR creators.... the power is already here/yOURs.

  5. jebus h flipping christ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    how many times do i have to read this dupe?

  6. Ham Operators.... by Sentosus · · Score: -1, Troll

    Okay, so you say you are valuable during emergency situations, but if the power was out, then there would be no interference with your signals. So you could still be used during emergencies.

    Next is that we currently are implementing push-to-talk over GSM and CDMA that would easily remove the need for the emergency bands already used. Same applies as above, when the power it down, your radios will work again.

    There are environmental advantages to this in that we can have less cables stretched all over the US saving in wire costs and insulation materials.

    Lets just accept that we are going to have to step on toes to make this happen. How much are you valuing your ability to use a radio over the ability of a rural community to have Internet access for their children, education, and entertainment?

    I pray that we get this implemented as fast as possible so those outside the 6 miles of the CO in my down can experience watching streaming Al Jezerri television on their computer like I do.

  7. nazi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    why cant you accept other points of views that may not be in agreement with you?

  8. Re:Let's hope not... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    > It'll bleed all over the spectrum and disrupt radio hams,

    Not radio hams!!! My god - just think of the consequences.

    I got half way through studying all that, then decided that the internet was a way more powerful, interesting and cheap way of achieving the same thing and so much more.

  9. Christ, WE KNOW by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: -1, Troll
    It tramples over many frequencies used by FEMA and Ham Operators. Ick!

    How many times do we need the same responses from the same HAM operators to basically the same story?

    If you need a hobby, get a CB or something, but the rest of us want our internet.

    1. Re:Christ, WE KNOW by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: -1, Troll
      Try to use a telephone (even a cell phone) after a disaster such as a hurricane or tornado. Even the terrorist of 9/11 has shown that phones cannot be relied upon.

      Ham radio on the other hand only needs an antenna (A simple piece of wire can do that) and some type of power source such as a running car or generator.

      So you can't practice your hobby after a natural disaster. Oh well.

      Yes, the telephone works 98% of the time but when it fails for the 2%, it is nice to have something to fall back on.

      I'll recommend a string and a couple of tin cans. Ham isn't a good no-power replacement for phones anyway, as not everyone can have one. A much better alternative is the CB I mentioned, which, notably, also run off cars and generators. No, they don't have distance, but if your argument is disasters, well, you can call Fiji later when the phones are back up.

    2. Re:Christ, WE KNOW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      Interference wont prevent people from entering the field. It's the expensive equipment and ugly antenna that turn people away from getting on the Ham. Plus you can do all the chatting around the world using Yahoo/Window Messenger/AOL/IRC/etc
      with lightning speed and with a lot more features than using ham radio. Let see you ham operator sending a big file (>100meg) and chat at the same time. Ps - forget using packet radio.

  10. this is /. so i haven't RTFA BUT by DroversDog · · Score: -1, Troll

    this has been a ./ headline and others for at least maybe 5 years so when it become real please email me

    droversdog@eudoramail.com

    like I like the idea but shit I remember the trial in Germany and the trial in ...and thae trial in ..... and and and and and and so on and just fuck Slashdot have rejected my posts, some good some bad and most just ugly but fuck they keep repeating this one...aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!

    moderators, please just mod me funny (well I thought so)... o and cowboyneil anwser your email.

    and my sig for today (moderators this is insightful)

    If smoking dope was any good for you they'd call it brilliant

  11. Re:stating the obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    You are so fucking dumb.

  12. Re:Sound great.... by Walkiry · · Score: 0, Troll

    And of course we know The Amateur Radio Relay League is a perfectly neutral and uninterested observer in this. Oh wait...

    --
    ---- Take the Space Quiz!
  13. DSL and Cable Suckkkkkk by panic911 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Could cable and DSL face a new competitor in the broadband market in the near future?

    Let's hope so, I would be love to see SBC and Comcast go out of business (or at least shut down their internet division). They might try to brag about having the worlds most solid network, or some crap, but customer service is a biggy too, and they suck at that. The fact that they extort their users into paying higher fees (or subscribing to a different service) is another thing I hate. Who knows though, BPL providers will probably be just as bad.

  14. Umm yea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    FEMA = police state, and hamm operators = dudes with no chance at touching a real woman.

    Lets get our BPL on!

  15. Re:Similar article here... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I hate conservatives. If you are a conservative, fuck off and die.

  16. Re:You are very wrong by GooberToo · · Score: 0, Troll

    Which means that therefore, I guess, I somehow lost the argument?

    No, it means you're either too dumb to understand the moderation system or too new to know better than to make statements, such as you made. The fact that I have to spell out, with such an obvious statement, pretty squarely points the needle on the, "you're an idiot", rather than the, "you're new", indicator.

    I see.

    Sadly, you don't, or I wouldn't be here typing again. What a dolt.

    Literally tons of pointless research has been applied toward developing devices to make this happen (the same one could say about e.g. lossless random data compression, reusable key one time pad cryptography, homeopathy, perpetuum mobile, and any other snake oil)

    LOL. This is awesome stuff! Thank you for making EXACTLY my point. You are one of the biggest idiots/trolls on /. that I've ever seen. LOL! You're a lost treasure of stupidity!!! LOL! If we listen to dolts like you, we wouldn't have cars or airplanes. Please specifically state the technology in question which qualifies as snake oil. While you randomly walk on topics which have no bearing, please, state, specifically, why BPL is snakeoil. Please. I've already stated why you're an idiot. Anyone with a brain agrees. Notice a stranger wondered in and spotted it right off. Now, specifically back up your statement. What technology, in development, as it relates to the original article, is snake oil. Since it's obviously not the technology that you mention, 1, how does it relate (thus you being offtopic), and 2, why does an unrelated article make the original post snake oil. Your obvious lack of ability to logically attack something is profound. If you can't logically connect the dots here, I don't think we have anything else to talk about, unless you just want to ensure everyone understands your gross stupidity.

    There is a flaw in your reasoning here, even if somehow subtle, at least much subtler than those in other parts of your post. You say that copper is everywhere but it does not mean we can use it.

    Really. I always hate it when physics shows me to be right and you wrong. Dang it. Hate it when physics means I'm right, yet I'm flawed. You are a dolt. LOL! This IS awesome stuff! Project after project shows that BPL has potential. The biggest problem seems to stem from RFI being emitted. The secondary issue seems to be getting it past transformers. I say secondary because it seems people are having success in addressing this issue. People seem to think they can get around it. In fact, in many experienments, they have, only to be shut down by RFI problems. I guess science, logic and physics seem to support that you are an idiot, which doesn't seem to know anything about what you are talking about.

    is that everywhere when we have both copper lines and power lines it is always cheaper and easier, as well as having more bandwidth, to use the copper line.

    Good thing you are an idiot, which obviously has no idea what you're talking about, otherwise, the laws of physics and economics would change before our eyes.

    You are the first dolt, to ever make my foe list. What an idiot.