Bummer! On 27 Nov 2004 at 17:06, Keith Anderson wrote:
> > BPL comes to Texas, Burnet is a small town located northwest of Austin, > Texas' state capital. > > http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2919786 > > Nov. 26, 2004, 4:59PM > > > Texas town gets Net over power lines > > ------------------------------------ > > > > Associated Press > > > > BURNET -- High-speed Internet service is coming to about 120 homes in > > this town of 5,000 using a novel technology that connects residents to > > the Web through power lines. > > > > Broadband Horizons, which provides Internet access to about 6,000 > > customers in rural parts of Central Texas, is paying most of the > > estimated $50,000 cost to install a network in a neighborhood of > > Burnet, about 40 miles northwest of Austin. > > > > Once the system is in place, scheduled by year end, they say that > > houses will connect by plugging a simple modem device into a wall > > socket. > > > > Companies have been trying to develop the technology -- called > > broadband over power line, or BPL -- for nearly a decade, and now the > > technology is being tested in a few places. The city-owned electric > > utility in Manassas, Va., launched a pilot project last fall. > > Ohio-based Cinergy Corp. is also testing a system. > > > > In theory, electric current runs along power lines at low frequencies > > and doesn't interfere with Internet signals at much higher frequencies. > > Advocates say the technology would be a cheaper way to wire rural towns > > like Burnet. > > > > Bob McClung, a Blanco entrepreneur, believes he could provide broadband > > service for about $30 a month with the cooperation of public and > > private electric utilities. He told the Austin American-Statesman that > > the technology could be much more common within a few years. > > > > Some analysts are skeptical, however, noting that cable television > > operators and phone companies have a big head start in building > > broadband networks. > > > > "There are 31 million subscribers to broadband in the U.S.," Bruce > > Leichtman of Leichtman Research Group in Durham, N.H., told the Austin > > American-Statesman. "We are well beyond the early-adopter stage. The > > high-end of the market is pretty well plucked." > > > > Ken Graham, the mayor pro tem, who retired to Burnet in 1999 after > > working in telecommunications, said he doesn't like his slow dial-up > > connection to the Internet and views the broadband pilot as a good > > thing. > > > > "This will enhance our quality of life, very definitely," Graham said. > > "Most people that live in this subdivision are retired professionals. > > They have moved to the small town, but they don't want to give up the > > conveniences that they had." > > > > > > Brought to you by the HoustonChronicle.com > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > AMRadio mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html > Post: mailto:[email protected]
