students at San Diego State University in California: BPL for 21st Century Communities

Broadband Over Power Lines for 21st Century Communities
Mar 05, 2006 By Jennifer Chidester and Jenna Gaspar

Jennifer Chidester and Jenna Gaspar are students at San Diego State University in California

If knowledge is power, the Internet is its embodiment. High-speed Internet pushes this knowledge/technology nexus even further, offering unparalleled access to information and opportunities for economic growth.

Jennifer Chidester
Despite the propagation of broadband technology in the last few years, high-speed Internet has reached a roadblock. There are still parts of the world without Internet access, and even in San Diego there are communities restricted to antiquated dial-up access. In order for broadband to truly reach its full potential as a vehicle for a knowledge-based economy, it needs to evolve into something that is accessible to all users, regardless of infrastructure or the end user's socioeconomic status.



Jenna Gasper
Broadband over Power Lines, or BPL, could be the answer to bring high-speed Internet to the next level.

With BPL, end users have high-speed access to Internet through a common electrical outlet. If broadband could be distributed through power lines, there would be no need to build costly new infrastructure which has limited broadband rollout in rural and sparsely settled areas.

BPL vendors have promoted this solution as a cost-efficient alternative to cable-modem or DSL services. And legislators have hopped on the bandwagon touting BPL as a necessary competitor to phone and cable companies, who currently corner the market on high-speed Internet.


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