The ARRL Has a Lot of Guts!

I need to point out one fact for those who think BPL will finally bring them broadband in their small town or rural area. The power companies want in on the same high-yield places that already have cable modem, DSL, or WISPs available. About the best that can be said for it is that it will fill in little "local subscriber loop" enclaves like mine. If they bring it here, I'm going to build and orient antennae for maximum coupling with the lines, and find out just what I can do that will be most disruptive... maybe call CQ all night on 10 meters at the bottom of the sunspot cycle, or all day on 160 meters at the height of it... nothing that will disrupt amateurs' use of the frequencies, but will disrupt BPL to the max.

 

If you believe that the power company is capable of
delivering reliable high speed internet service, then I have a bridge to sell you.  

The power industry is delusional, if it thinks that a late entry to a stable market has any hope of making money.  They offer no technological advantage which would permit them to see adequate return on their investment....to do so would require that a great number of us would be so in awe of their service value that we give up our cable modems.

With due respect to folks who live in rural markets, the reason that cable and telco won't provide you with wideband is that it's not economic for them to do so.
It will be no different for BPL.  

Well...actually, it MIGHT be different.  When the power goes out in your neck of the woods, how fast do they respond?   You think that a data failure will bring 'em running?  

An economically unviable competitor doesn't exactly provide a reliable hope for continued service.

Don't get your hopes up.

Jim/N2EA