DSLReports has an article citing the death of Broadband Over Powerline (BPL). Apparently, the first U.S. city to see a non-trial launch of BPL in Manassas, Virginia is shutting down. Comtek, the company that originally built the network, is giving up on the installation after a planned sale to Smart Grid LLC fell through and the city has taken control of the network.
BPL has had difficulty gaining traction for several reasons. First, its relatively slow throughput in the face of next-generation speeds and its potential for interference with amateur and emergency radio. Finally, many utilities simply didn’t want to be broadband providers.
Last May, a BPL trial operated by DirecTV and Current Communications in Dallas, Texas which had hoped to offer BPL service to 2 million residents was sold to the local utility.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.