Erin Zlomek
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 19, 2006 12:00 AM
No modems, no dial-up, no cables.
Instead, some Surprise residents may soon get Internet service through a traditional two-pronged power outlet.
In addition to adding wireless Internet portals throughout the city, Surprise is negotiating with Mountain Telecommunications Inc. and Arizona Public Service Co. to provide a relatively new Internet technology: broadband over power lines, or BPL, for residents in the Original Townsite.
The City Council is expected to consider the pilot project by December.
The technology hit the commercial Internet market in 2001 and has the potential to provide Internet service faster, with fewer complications and at a lower cost to Surprise homes, said Randy Jackson, Surprise's chief information officer.
BPL is already popular in Europe and Japan. Jackson said the city of Manassas, Va., currently is the only U.S. city to offer BPL to its residents - and by his reckoning, Surprise may be the second.
The city estimates that only 25 percent of Surprise homes have high-speed Internet service, though a higher percentage of homes have computers. City officials project that with BPL, anyone who has a computer soon will have Internet service as well. Attaching a special box to existing power poles enables the technology to work. The service sends broadband signals over power lines, rather than telephone dial-up or high-speed cable connections provided by Qwest or Cox Communications.
With BPL, a small converter box is put on a computer's plug, and voila - Internet connectivity. As long as the computer is plugged into a wall socket, the Worldwide Web is at the user's fingertips.
The city estimates that Cox controls about 30 percent of the Internet market in Surprise. Jackson considers that control a "quasi-monopoly." He said he hopes the introduction of two new Internet service options, BPL and WiFi, will drive down current Internet service prices.
In Japan, users pay about $9 or $10 a month for high-speed Internet service. In this country, they pay $40 to $50 a month on average, and a working family might not want to pay that, Jackson said.
Surprise is still smoothing out its pilot project with Tempe-based MTI and APS. Once a deal is finalized, the plan will go to the City Council for consideration. If the council approves, MTI and APS will provide BPL service to Surprise's Original Townsite, the square mile bounded by Bell, Dysart, Greenway and El Mirage roads.
The Original Townsite is the city's most underserved area in terms of Internet service, Jackson said. The trial run would provide service to 984 homes in the Original Townsite.
During BPL's trial run, WiFi providers will be prohibited from penetrating the Original Townsite, so that BPL has no competition outside of Cox and Qwest, and is given a chance to get off the ground. Should the trial be successful, the council would be asked to expand BPL service to other areas.
In its negotiations with MTI, the city is asking the company to provide all residents, regardless of whether or not they pay for Internet service, free access to Dysart.org, a school district Web site, and Surpriseaz.com, the city's Web site. If the deal goes as planned, within a few years, parents with a computer could check their children's academic progress on the Dysart Unified School District's Web page.
Although Jackson said he believes that BPL will offer tremendous benefits, the technology is far from flawless.
A BPL test site in Cottonwood disrupted amateur radio signals. Now, developers believe they have solved the problem. In areas where power lines run underground, installing BPL boxes becomes more costly. Surprise budgeted $40,000 to pay for its first year of BPL service.
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BROADBAND over POWER LINES: new 200 Mbps Technology !!!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
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ARIZONA: Surprise set to tap latest in broadband
ReplyDeleteErin Zlomek
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 26, 2006 12:00 AM
No modems, no dial-up, no cables.
Instead, Surprise residents by next year may receive low-cost Internet service through a standard three-pronged power outlet.
It would be one of the first tests of a cutting-edge technology that some experts think will expand Internet use dramatically across the country.
The West Valley city is negotiating with several companies to provide some of its residents broadband over power lines, or BPL, which only one other U.S. city so far has put to wider use. The concept would put BPL at the disposal of some of the city's lower-income areas, giving families free access to school and city Web sites.
The City Council by December is expected to sign off on a pilot project with Mountain Telecommunications Inc. and Arizona Public Service Co. that would offer the service to the center of the city.
The technology hit the commercial Internet market five years ago. Randy Jackson, Surprise's chief information officer, said access over power lines has the potential to provide Internet service with a higher bandwidth to more homes, and at a lower cost, than high-speed cable Internet service offered by companies like Cox Communications and Qwest.
BPL is already used in Europe and Japan. Jackson said that Manassas, Va., is the only U.S. city to offer BPL to its residents and that, by his reckoning, Surprise may be the second.
The city estimates that one out of four Surprise homes has high-speed Internet service.
City officials project that with BPL, high-speed Internet usage would increase.
Attaching a special electronic device to existing power poles makes the technology work.
The service sends broadband signals over power lines, rather than by traditional telephone dial-up or high-speed cable connections.
With BPL, a small converter box also is placed on a computer's plug and - voila! - Internet connectivity.
As long as the computer is plugged into a wall socket, the World Wide Web is at the user's fingertips.
The city estimates that Cox controls the lion's share of Internet connections in Surprise.
Jackson considers that control a "quasimonopoly."
He hopes the introduction of two new Internet service options, BPL and WiFi, will drive down current Internet service prices by creating competition.
In Japan, users pay the equivalent of about $9 or $10 a month for high-speed Internet service.
In this country, they pay $40 to $50 a month on average, and a working family may not want to pay that, Jackson said.
Residents of Manassas pay about $29 a month to Communications Technologies Inc. for their BPL service.
Jackson said the cost of BPL service in Surprise would be comparable to that of Manassas'.
Although Jackson thinks BPL will offer tremendous benefits, the technology is far from flawless. It is known to disrupt amateur-radio signals.
A BPL test site in Cottonwood caused ham-radio interference.
The Federal Communications Commission, which has developed guidelines to make the technology ham-radio friendly, also has sent a warning to Virginia's Communications Technologies.
The company is altering its BPL boxes in Manassas to try to eliminate interference with amateur-radio signals.
The West Valley Amateur Radio Club plans to meet with Surprise officials to make sure a city BPL project does not interfere with their activities.
In areas where power lines run underground, installing BPL boxes becomes more costly.
Jackson said Tempe and other Valley cities believe that they can achieve greater Internet service penetration in their communities with WiFi alone, making BPL service redundant.
However, officials at APS recognized BPL's potential last year, creating a position specifically for BPL negotiations, said Richard Hammitt, who got the job as project manager.
The utility expects to make money if BPL is successful.
Surprise is still negotiating the details of its pilot project. Once a deal is finalized, the plan will go to the City Council.
If approved, the service will be provided on a trial basis to Surprise's Original Townsite, a square mile bounded by Bell, Dysart, Greenway and El Mirage roads.
The townsite, which has a large number of low-income families, is the city's most underserved area in terms of Internet service.
The trial run would provide service access to 984 homes.
City officials hope BPL service will act as an incentive to get townsite households onto the Internet.
The city plans to work with businesses to get donations, grants and recycled equipment that can be donated to low-income families so they can get the service.
The city also hopes, at a minimum, to provide those households with free access to city and school district Web sites.
If the deal goes as planned, parents with a computer eventually can check their children's academic progress on the Dysart Unified School District's Web page for free.
During the trial run, WiFi providers will not offer competing service to the townsite, minimizing BPL's competition and allowing it a chance to get off the ground.
If BPL makes money and is popular with residents, the council would be asked to expand the service to other parts of the city.
"I believe the Internet will become just as prevalent in society as the telephone," Jackson said.
"I think when you buy a house, you will ask, 'Does it have heating, cooling, telephone and Internet?' And, if the answer is no, it will be a slum."