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Group 4

Carter Sample, Brandin Neal, Garrett Berry, and Raymond Harris

Key Words: Internet, Broadband, Telecommunications, Electricity, Networks

A new type of internet technology being developed could change the way millions of people access the web. This new network option is called broadband over power lines, or BPL. BPL uses electrical power lines to transfer data. BPL can provide internet access from either an electrical outlet, or via a WAN service. BPL can benefit businesses and organizations by bring broadband internet to areas where other forms of broadband are not available. BPL can also make setting up a network easier for businesses, and would even allow appliances to be networked together more easily.

Electric companies have been interested in BPL for years, but it was only recently that the FCC made the changes in broadband regulations that allowed the development of BPL services. A company called Manassas was first to start developing BPL, but now BPL technology is being developed and implemented by several large utility providers, such as Current Communications Group and Cinergy Corp. Utility providers have also formed their own organization, the United Power Line Council (UPLC), to support the adoption of this technology and the development of industry standards. Many other large corporations support this organization, including Earthlink and even Motorola. Although BPL technology is being developed by many organizations, it is still considered to be in “trial mode.” With companies around the world working on BPL technology, BPL will be available to millions very soon. BPL is expected to have quite an impact on the broadband market. According to one estimate, revenues from PBL will be as much as $4.4 billion by 2011.

BPL works by allowing the data signal that moves between computers to “hitch a ride” across a city's network of power lines. Basically, radio energy is coupled onto power lines and flows into homes and business with the electricity. There is typically some sort of device in the home or business that plugs into the wall outlet to receive the signal, and this device is then connected to the computer, usually by an Ethernet cable. Interference between the electrical current and the data signals isn’t a problem because the digital ones and zeros move at different frequencies than the current. There are two different kinds of BPL technology. One allows the user to access the internet by plugging directly into a wall outlet. The other is a WAN service, which works similarly to a WiFi network. Like a WiFi network, this service provides access to the network only when they are in certain locations.

BPL technology can provide several benefits to organizations. One huge advantage of BPL is the wiring infrastructure. Power lines are almost everywhere, so copper wiring or fiber would not have to be run. Also, BPL can provide a broadband connection to rural areas that are not typically served by other types of Broadband like cable or DSL. This is very important because it allows businesses that may have only had a dialup connection in the past to upgrade to broadband internet, which most organizations see as an essential tool. This means that these rural businesses could use their faster connection to expand the online aspect of their business, or make it more efficient. This could also give them an advantage over other businesses in the area.

Since time is a valuable resource to any company, it is also worth nothing that setting up a network with BPL technology is fast and convenient because it does not require the user to hire someone to lay LAN cable throughout the area. Instead, one would just have to subscribe to the service and plug into a power outlet. This means a company could set up the broadband network in seconds. BPL is also relatively cheap compared to other forms of broadband, such as cable, which can cost over forty dollars a month. BPL is estimated to start at around twenty-five to thirty dollars a month, depending on connection speed. BPL can even be used to make it easier to network all of the appliances in a house or office together, because they are all plugged into electrical outlets already.

In conclusion, BPL is a new form of Broadband technology that utilizes the existing utilities network to provide internet access. BPL technology is being developed by many companies and will soon be a common alternative to other types of broadband such as DSL and Cable. BPL has the potential to provide broadband internet to areas in which it was never available before. It can also save businesses time and money in setting up their broadband network. Because of BPL technology, life just might get a little easier for people and businesses all over the world.

References

Korzeniowski, Paul. (2005, December 22). Powering Up a New Broadband Option. Tech News World. Retrieved October 20, 2006 from

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/47213.html

Good, Anthony. (2006, July 02). Frequently Asked Questions About Broadband Over Powerline (BPL) and Wireless Spectrum Issues. Retrieved October 22, 2006 from http://www.qrpis.org/~k3ng/bpl.html

Buechner, Marryanne. (2004, June). Power Play. Time. Retrieved October 24, 2006 from http://www.time.com/time/insidebiz/article/0,9171,1101040503-629395-1,00.html

Broadband over Power Lines
Group 4

1.	What does BPL stand for?

A.	Binary Preference Language

B.	Binary Processing Link

C.	Broadband over Telephone Lines

D.	Broadband over Power Lines

2.	Broadband over Power Lines offers internet through what medium?

Satellite

Wifi

C.	Power Lines

B and C

1. 3.3. 2.3.

Which is the advantage of BPL?

A.	No need to lay cable

B.	May be able to reach rural areas

C.	Conveniently located

D.	All of the above

4.	Which of the following is not a location that is introducing BPL?

Ohio

Indiana

Kentucky

Arkansas

5.	Which is not a vendor of BPL?

Apple

Earthlink

IBM

Motorola

6.	BPL uses what kind of port to connect to the internet?

Ethernet

B.	Phone line

C.	Power Outlet

Cable

7.	What is the title of the group that is promoting BPL?

UPLC

UFC

BBQ

KGHE