Broadband to the People: FCC Adopts BPL

Business Wire ^ | 10/14/2004 | Business Wire

[orangelobster]

"How on earth can internet connectivity be free?"

I'm not a tech guy, but I read about a number of cities already providing free access via wi-fi. I imagine that if the technology becomes cheap enough that it would be a government service or if private, cheap enough to be supported by advert. dollars.

[CDHart]

Thanks! It can't come too soon for me. We're in a town with two ISPs, neither of which are very good and only provide dialup connections. But Medicare and Medicaid want us to bill online. We can't firewall our systems because we can't get high speed access. It's very frustrating.

Carolyn

[Myrddin]

I'm an Extra Class ham with (originally) a First Class Radiotelephone license with a RADAR endorsement. I cared for the HF radios on 180 tuna boats, their base stations and assorted freighters in San Diego. These people are critically dependent on high seas HF radio to keep in contact with their offices and homes. The hash from BPL will wipe out their ability to be heard by the base stations. It is a safety issue for many ships at sea. There are also reports of interference all the way up to the aircraft AM band. That is a huge safety issue. The FCC is pandering to the money interests at the power company at the expense of all users of radio spectrum.

[orangelobster]

Sounds like a valid concern.

[Musket]

I've heard about these experiments too, usually happening in smaller towns. It will be interesting to see how they all end up.

I find it a very large stretch that someting that costs on average $40 a month per household to suddenly be free. Advertising could cover it, but would you want that much spyware on your machine? Not me.

[Chemist_Geek]

I'm not going to bother to upgrade from Tech.

[SERKIT]

http://www.arrl.org/news/bandthreat/

[orangelobster]

Here's an article about a committee set up to look into free wi-fi access for all of philadelphia. Some cities already have this. I can see large to moderate size cities doing this. For rural areas though this new technology may be the answer.

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=3C4BEC8B-6B92-4FDD-A0EB85C290CAA326&title=Philadelphia%20Goes%20Wireless&catOID=45C9C787-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Science%20%26%20Tech

[hosepipe]

[ "This is one of the defining moments for the widespread adoption of broadband by Americans, and a great testament to the FCC's leadership and to the cooperation and support of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. ]

BULL.....
Ok that speaks for the duties of a coulpa FCC employees what happened to the other 280 million dollar budget..

(( NOT )) Allowing outright in you're face sedition by the mainstream media is one of the things the FCC was created for.. they have failed horribly.. Heads should roll.. Dan Rathers little faux pas is not so little since most media do the same thing.. and for decades.. Spikeing the truth for well spun opinion consistently with unilateral links to the democratic party should at least raise a few eyebrows.. or maybe a visit from the FCC.. nothing from them.. could it be that the FCC is salted with 90 to 95 percent democrats like the media and acedemia are salted ?...

Actually what it does do is paint the FCC as yet another arm of the DNC... The FCC has no business fooling around with the internet.. the public airwaves yes.. The market can deal with the internet just fine...

[Musket]

Thanks. We're getting a little off topic here but that answers some of my questions.

One limit of the Wireless Philadelphia proposal, says Ms. Neff, is that it aims to provide Internet access to outdoor areas, not inside everyone's house or place of business.

Officials are in talks with Internet service providers, who worry that the city may be cutting into their business.

The Wireless Philadelphia program is projected to cost about $10 million. City officials hope at least some of that money will come from private sector investors or business partners.

Ha. A network built by the Government paid for by some hope and the rest taxpayer money. Based on that article, I bet it fails. Or doesn't live up to it's expectations. Well - Keep Hope Alive.

Getting back to topic, I wonder what a BPL Network Infrastructure looks like.

Anybody have an idea/link?

[LasVegasMac]

I can't wait to see what happens when operators start pointing their antennas at the power lines and letting loose with a kw.

LVM

[Denver Ditdat]

Even if what others are saying about interference to AM radio and whatnot, isn't the internet and webcasting already making these technologies obsolete?

Only if we intend to accept the net as the be-all and end-all of communications. If you use an AM radio in your car, while camping, or working in your yard, forget it - it will be a cacophony of buzzes and squawks. Likewise, boaters who use the HF bands for over the horizon comms may not hear much in the way of BPL interference at sea, but what of the shore stations they are trying to communicate with? Reception of distress calls could get dicey.

I'll admit to having a horse in this race. As a long time ham radio op, I'd hate to see the HF bands become useless. Yes, hams are still out there and still performing yeoman service in public emergencies. Thousands supported the rescue and cleanup efforts in the recent Florida hurricanes. That kind of public service will become difficult or impossible if the bands are covered with BPL noise.

Add the fact that BPL is a Part 15 service - the utilities aren't the primary service on those frequencies. BPL has to accept any interference from the primary service on the band, be it broadcasters, hams, public services, etc. If your downloads keep getting interrupted by RF from another service, too bad. That's something BPL users will have to grit their teeth and live with.

Transmission lines for electric power simply aren't designed to carry RF. They are going to radiate the frequencies BPL is using, and receive those same frequencies from various licensed sources.

Just my perspective, but it's tough to see an upside to this technology.

[batmast]

I wonder what a BPL Network Infrastructure looks like.
See this website: http://www.ambientcorp.com/technology.html

[Denver Ditdat]

Yep, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)is an excellent source of info concerning the downside of BPL. Little of it seems to be reported in the MSM, though, just the blue sky projections.

[Denver Ditdat]

RTTY contest weekends should be particularly interesting. ;-)

[mdmathis6]

Can you imagine the presidential debates in the mid century: "And this president has turned his back on the have not internet users who only get 1.5meg/sec download while his rich friends get the ultra 3 gig a second services, I HAVE A PLAN that will right this inequality...."(sarcasm)

[Ready4Freddy]

And just how was the internet service via your POTS? When you didn't have electricity, I mean........

So when my power goes out during a hurricane, so does the internet. The only thing that made it through Frances and Jeanne was my phone service.

[js1138]

There are such things as laptops and batteries.

[Fatalis]

Bring an AM radio near your home computer or monitor. Notice the wretched digital noise emitted. Soon, all the electric power lines will be giant antennas spreading this crap across the electromagnetic spectrum.

I've noticed it with some stations but not all on the radio on the shelf over my computer. Occasionally if I want to listen to a ballgame I use a second radio across the room. I'd assumed there was a problem with the tuner on the first radio. You're saying its because of my computer?

[Musket]

Good link. Thanks.