Broadband by Power Line (BPL) has been around, in theory, for nearly a decade now.
The idea is simple. You run data signals over a power line and every wall outlet becomes an Internet circuit. No rewiring. And the speeds are super-fast. My first clip on this is from 1998. (And here’s a car that runs on water, but GM won’t let it come out…)
David Lazarus (left) of the San Francisco Chronicle rose up today and hawked up a lugee of this today, saying that Google is interested.
Google is interested in a lot of things. Google is a very polite company.
But no matter how interested Google may be, this ain’t happening. Sorry.
Why? Interference.
The Amateur Radio Relay League may not be a super-powerful lobby, but they have been up in arms over this for years. Sad to say they have some science on their side. David Coursey, who still thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room (wisdom starts with knowing you are not), has dumped on it.
There was supposed to be a test of this in Flatonia, Texas, my father-in-law’s birthplace, last year. Didn’t happen. Lots of hype, but nothing.
Why? Interference. (Can you hear me now?)
Now, maybe we can move the amateur radio buffs, and anyone else who
might be interfered with. Maybe you like some Blue Moon (Cheese)
Dressing, or wish to fly with me to California next week on the back of
a pig.
Hey, I’d love it. I’m all for it.
But it ain’t happening. And five minutes of Googling (yes, I used it as
a verb, but I capitalized it, Google trademark lawyers, because Google
only means using the Google search engine) would have told Lazarus this.
So what have we learned? A journalist is someone who won’t spend five
minutes on Google. And a blogger is someone who won’t spend five
minutes on the phone. (Note to bloggers — get Skype.)
Interference with Amateur Radio is a real concern, but the main reason why BPL isn’t happening is because in and of itself it is not that good a technology. There are very few cases where it makes better economic sense than competitors such as DSL, cable, WiFi Mesh, WiMax and similar, and even fiber (which is a good long term investment). Maybe in another 10 years BPL will be ready, but it isn’t today.
Note, I am talking about last mile BPL, not last 100 ft BPL (i.e. in-home BPL). As a last 100 ft. technology, BPL is far more competative.
Interference with Amateur Radio is a real concern, but the main reason why BPL isn’t happening is because in and of itself it is not that good a technology. There are very few cases where it makes better economic sense than competitors such as DSL, cable, WiFi Mesh, WiMax and similar, and even fiber (which is a good long term investment). Maybe in another 10 years BPL will be ready, but it isn’t today.
Note, I am talking about last mile BPL, not last 100 ft BPL (i.e. in-home BPL). As a last 100 ft. technology, BPL is far more competative.
Interference does not have to be a deal killer and the radio amateurs do not have to be moved.
At least one of the available BPL technologies, Motorola’s Powerline LV, has been endorsed by the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) as not causing interference. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/05/23/1/?nc=1
So it really comes down to the economic feasibility.
Interference does not have to be a deal killer and the radio amateurs do not have to be moved.
At least one of the available BPL technologies, Motorola’s Powerline LV, has been endorsed by the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) as not causing interference. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/05/23/1/?nc=1
So it really comes down to the economic feasibility.