Smart Grid Brings Powerline Broadband Back?

judgecorp writes "The UK is giving powerline broadband a serious trial once again, in up to 1000 homes in Liverpool. The technology was once hailed as an alternative to ADSL, delivered over the electricity mains, but lost out because of radio interference and price. The UK government is backing the installation of smart meters across the country, and it seems a new generation of 200Mbps powerline broadband could ride on that, cutting the installation costs. What about the interference issues? A recent FAQ from the regulator, Ofcom, says it has not found any evidence of a breach of EMC rules, but is keeping an eye on it."

Comments

Re:You know that Internet 2 that everyone wanted?

[vlm]

The advantage to the consumer is that the power company is used to providing a (metered) pipe and thats about it. They have no other competitive issues because you can't power your house with an internet connection.

Today, sure. Back in 1984 when I got my first modem AT&T had no residential video service to compete with me.

It only takes a few months for, say, General Electric/NBC to buy my local power company, and then guess what happens to my netflix access?