BLOG MyyyyyAsssss

There was a dinnerparty a few nights ago that we attended for a friend who has just retired. The house was full and, of course, there had to be sixteen conversations going on at the same time. Don't you hate that? It really makes it difficult to stay on top of things when so many people are yapping at the same time.
So the story that caught my attention was about the individual who was looking to rent a building here in town, but the deal never came to fruition because there was no high-speed internet available here in Evansville.
There is a new developement going on down the highway a bit and the man who is charged with running it lives closeby. He wanted to rent a building here in town that was basically empty and throw in an office with ten to twenty staff. Our community was his first choice as the manager lived so close, but upon closer investigation the deal fell through as we don't have high-speed. Does that suck or what?
Actually, the deal could have easily gone through if the fellow renting the space knew something about computer technology - he could have simply installed a satellite system and set up all the computers he wanted to it. But he didn't know that was possible.
A satellite system is something I've been considering as well. I've spoken to two folks who have had it installed and they love the system, but it is expensive. As much as I'd love to get it, we can't really afford to put out that kind of money just now.
I hate being on dialup, but it is a fact of life out here that nobody has done anything about. Maybe this blog entry will make a difference. I'm going to bring it to the attention of our Members of Parliament - Brent St. Denis and Mike Brown.

Read On Fellas!

There is another possibility to get high-speed other than phoneline, satellite or cable and it is called Broadband over Power Lines or BPL. This technology is relatively new but the aspect that makes it so interesting is the fact that it utilizes existing power lines. The user simply plugs his computer into any electrical plug in his house or office.
An early comment made was posted at http://www.physorg.com/news5820.html

Power lines may offer Internet connections
There are three basic on-ramps to the broadband highway: cable telephone line or satellite -- but electric companies may soon join the fray.
The idea, itself, is simple: use the power lines that go into nearly every home in the United States to enable Internet connections.
But the Christian Science Monitor reports it's not quite that easy in practice, since utility companies face some technological hurdles and they've had to be persuaded it's a profitable venture.
But a technology called Broadband over Power Lines has gained investments from major companies, including Google and IBM, and will soon be entering major markets.
"Our hope is that in the next two years you'll see millions of homes" using BPL, Kevin Kushman, vice president of corporate development at CURRENT Communications Group in Germantown, Md., told the newspaper.
A market research company, Telecom Trends International, is forecasting BPL revenue will rise from $57.1 million last year to $4.4 billion by 2011.
Electric utilities find the idea doubly attractive, since BPL can also be used for several tasks, such as outage identification, meter reading and monitoring lines for electric "noise" or other interference.

A later entry on the internet from http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=6539

Momentum Builds on Broadband Over Power Lines
Momentum is building behind a technology that carries high-speed Internet over the electric grid. Known as Broadband over Power Lines, or BPL, the technology allows customers to access the World Wide Web, send e-mail, and automate their homes simply by plugging into an electrical outlet.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rekindled this month their push for broader rollout of the technology, unanimously adopting an order designed to help BPL to flourish. Given the ubiquity of power lines, BPL is a boon to people in rural areas where DSL and cable Internet services often do not reach. Currently, there are approximately fifty BPL networks in the United States, albeit mostly in the developmental stages.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standards Association, a member and accredited standards developer of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is at work on a standard intended to promote the widespread and successful implementation of BPL services. IEEE P1901, Draft Standard for Broadband over Power Line Networks: Medium Access Control and Physical Layer Specifications, will define how digital data travels over power lines and the nature of the communication channel to be used. The standard, IEEE says, will provide an essential tool to manufacturers, helping them to develop interoperable devices necessary to commercialize BPL.
Targeted for publication in early 2007, IEEE 1901 is designed to ensure the balanced and efficient use of the power line network by all classes of BPL devices. The standard lays out requirements to ensure that BPL devices from different manufacturers will be able to coexist and interoperate successfully on the same network. Additionally, the standard addresses security concerns to enable private and secure communications between users.
IEEE P1901 will apply to BPL devices for connection to broadband services, local area networks and other data distribution systems over power lines. The standard complies with electromagnetic compatibility regulations to ensure compatibility with wireless and telecommunications systems.
Participants in the IEEE work group developing P1901 include companies from the power, utilities and broadband communities. Members of the group include ANSI members Boeing, IBM, Intel, Motorola, Sony, and Texas Instruments, and Conexant Systems.

In doing a little research on this subject I came across this statistic:
Currently, nearly two-thirds of U.S. households use dialup connections or are not connected online at all.
Read the full story from where this statistic is quoted.
One company that believes in this technology is PLC Network Solutions Inc which has successfully deployed in over 25 countries around the globe, in homes, apartments, office towers, schools, hotels, hospitals, museums and Government buildings. Included in the above is the old CHCH Television building in Hamilton, Ontario.
In July of 2005 our Federal Government put together a consultation paper to investigate Broadband over Power Line. Hopefully our Members of Parliament can tell us where that stands.

For those of you that understand things better when you see diagrams, How Stuff Works will give you a better idea how this whole concept can help you get hooked up to high-speed internet.

To Sum Up

There are a lot of folks living in rural Canada and the US, for that matter, that would appreciate the opportunity to be able to surf the internet using a high speed connection. Most of us cannot afford the satellite system so it would be nice if the hydro lines were deployed giving us folks the same opportunties that are considered basic to the fine folks living in our cities to south of us.