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Posted
from the Monday edition of www.dallasnews.xom, see links below and
at end of story--Tom, WW5L http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-txu_19bus.ART.State.Edition3.bf6a1c.html TXU grid to carry Internet service New
partner to offer broadband connection using power lines 08:10 AM CST on Monday, December 19,
2005 By
TERRY MAXON / The A
couple million Texans may soon be able to get their Internet broadband service
by plugging into their electrical outlets. A
In
a deal to be announced today, TXU will pay about $150 million over 10 years for
an ownership stake in Current Communications Group Inc., which will turn TXU's
transmission system into a "smart electricity grid." In
turn, Current plans to offer broadband service over TXU's lines. Current
Communications uses broadband over power lines, or BPL technology, to hook up
customers to the Internet using the electrical outlets in homes. BPL
has been touted as a cheaper, more efficient way to get broadband service to
customers who aren't easily reached with cable companies' service or
DSL service from telephone companies, or wireless service from a cellular phone
company or wireless broadband company. However,
BPL also competes head-to-head with established broadband providers, as Current
is doing in As
it plans for TXU, Current is building a network atop Cinergy's system to help
Cinergy keep track of its power grid. TXU
and Current will begin designing the network that will overlay TXU's electric
distribution system. Construction is expected to begin in the first half of
2006, with the first BPL service for consumers not expected before the second
half of the year. Current
Communications' BPL network will cover about 2 million homes and businesses in
the TXU
Energy, Reliant and other retailers obtain power over TXU Electric Delivery's
grid. With
the consumer application not coming until later, TXU and Current officials
touted the smart-grid functions, which will allow TXU to monitor its widespread
system. TXU Electric Delivery, a part of TXU Corp. and formerly called Oncor,
operates more than 14,000 miles of transmission lines and 100,000 miles of
distribution lines taking electricity to 3 million customers. "Current's
BPL solution is a critical enabler of our mission to dramatically improve the
way we deliver electricity," TXU Electric Delivery chairman and chief
executive Tom Baker said. "BPL
will enable us to respond more quickly and efficiently to outages of all
magnitudes, manage our distribution network more proactively and further
safeguard our dispersed critical assets in today's heightened security
environment," he said. Added
TXU spokesman Chris Schein: "We're looking at ways to increase the system
reliability and make it really a 21st-century grid." As
part of the deal, TXU would become an equity partner in privately held Current,
which is based in William
H. Berkman, chairman and co-founder of Current Communications Group and
managing partner of Liberty Associated Partners, said the TXU deal "is
solid evidence of how BPL answers the federal government's recent call to
create a more efficient and reliable 21st-century electricity distribution
network." One
of the promised features of BPL is the ability to read meters without having to
send an employee. Mr. Schein did not commit TXU Electric Delivery to using that
function but said it was a possibility. "We
have been in the process of installing automated meter readers," he said.
"That certainly is a capability that will be available." Last
summer, the Texas Legislature approved a wide-reaching telecom bill that set
rules for installing BPL systems on electric lines. The service faced heavy
opposition from amateur radio operators concerned that radio waves from BPL
systems would interfere with existing wireless systems. E-mail
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> How
it works Broadband
over power lines (BPL), still in its infancy, carries a broadband Internet
signal over the electricity grid. Here's a simple explanation of a complicated
technology: A
high-speed broadband line sends the signal to a device that puts it onto a
power line delivering electricity. Devices
to repeat the signal are used to keep it strong as it moves along the line, as
necessary. Another
device extracts the signal from the line and carries it into the electrical
system of a home or business. Devices
that plug into standard 110-volt outlets pick up the broadband signal,
translate it and carry it to a computer or other equipment. How
much it costs Current
Communication's AT&T
Inc., formerly SBC Communications, has promotional rates offering its DSL
service in 384 kilobits to 1.5 megabits per second and $21.99
for 1.5 to 3 megabits, with a six-month commitment.
Customers billed month-to-month pay $34.99 for the slower speeds and $39.99 for
the faster speeds. AT&T also has a tier of service offering speeds of 1.5
to 6 megabits per second for $49.99. Comcast's
regular price for at least 4-megabits-per-second downloads is $52.95
for customers who don't also buy its cable TV service,
or $42.95 for cable customers. It has a current promotion offering 6-megabit
speeds for $19.99 for the first three months for new Comcast broadband
customers. SOURCES:
Public Utility Commission of Texas; broadband providers; Dallas Morning News
research Rick Harnish President OnlyInternet Broadband & Wireless, Inc. 260-827-2482 Office 260-307-4000 Cell 260-918-4340 VoIP
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