"The Internet is no longer a luxury item. It is a must have service for economic development and education in rural areas. Small towns will continue to suffer without access to high spee Internet connectivity, and BLP (Broadband over Power Lines) is (the most convenient and efficient method) of delivering that service."The positive implications of this for education include the following:
BLP - Coming to a Power Line Near You
A recent Triangle TechJournal article by Daniel Pearson, Research Triangle Park Startup Taps Power Lines to Bridge Digital Divide, outines the revival of the technology to deliver high speed Internet services to rural areas using the existing electric power grid.
The article quotes Ted Paczek, vice president of sales and marketing for Copper Road (incorporated March 2002), the company proposing to deliver Internet via the power grid:
a wireless source that can integrate with systems within the school system, the classroom, and facilities
New management options for the power grid itself
Possibility of partnership between a public utility and the schools for afordable Internet service
The downside possibilities include some new areas of debate:
The technology itself has not been widely tested
Creates a proxy relationship between an ISP (Media provider) and a utility company, implying the possiblity of a monopoly
Security of both data systems and power systems when the two are essentially merged
The global implications are huge. Can you hear the scrambling going on in the board rooms of AOL, MSN, and Comcast to to squelch this monster? Film at 11...