Kiplinger Magazine: high-speed Internet service over power lines

Kiplinger Magazine
Outlet to the Net
Friday May 19, 7:25 pm ET
By E.B.


With electric utilities ready to start offering high-speed Internet service over power lines (instead of phone wires), all you will need to get online access is a plug-in modem.
Internet service via power lines should load pages up to five times faster than cable or DSL--and cost you less money. Following tests in Potomac, Md., and Cincinnati, Current Technologies plans to offer the service this fall for $30 to $45 a month; most cable and DSL subscribers pay about $40 to $60 a month.


With no setup fee, the only other investment is $70 to $100 to buy a power-line modem, already available in electronics stores. Just plug the modem into the wall outlet and attach the Ethernet or USB connection to your computer. The service could be available within a year in Georgia, Maryland, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The power-line concept appeals to service providers because they can easily add equipment to existing wire grids, instead of laying cable into new service areas. Another big fan is Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who sees it as a way to increase competition in the broadband market.

Skeptics worry that using power lines for Internet service on a large scale would interfere with other electrical devices, and cause system overload and power failures. But "the rewards are enormous if it works," says Bill Blair of the Electric Power Research Institute.

Even if you don't want Internet service, utilities may use the technology to read your meter remotely, determine if your power is out, and turn off your air conditioner during times of peak usage. --E.B.

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The new 200 Mbps BROADBAND over POWER LINES Technology