Utilities and BPL: Betting Against the Odds

Deck: 

Why broadband over power line (BPL) can't stand alone as a high-speed Internet offering.

Fortnightly Magazine - April 2005
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You could almost feel former FCC Chairman Michael Powell's enthusiasm for broadband over power line (BPL) technology when he called it "the most important third way" to provide broadband to markets across the United States.

Despite advances by DSL and cable modems, the United States ranks 10th in penetration of broadband and data rate of the broadband services offered (among Organization for Economic Cooperations and Development countries)-a fall from the number three spot in 2000.

Although investment in broadband facilities to serve enterprise and large business customers is well under way, the FCC recognizes that improving the U.S. position requires addressing the mass market-and it is here that BPL holds promise. But is BPL financially attractive enough to the nation's electric utilities to warrant investment and management attention?

The Story of Broadband Demand

During the 1990s, entrepreneurs built excruciatingly detailed cost models of telecom networks, but the projections for demand, pricing, and market size were remarkably simplistic. The resulting impact on investors was widespread and devastating. Today's investors are much smarter, and they pay closer attention to demand.

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