[TowerTalk] BPL

[Craig Clark]

Last week, KQ2M and I had an interesting exchange of thoughts about BPL 
that set me to thinking. The "set-up" is that I live in a hollow in rural 
area, cable TV runs .7 miles from my house, I am within 18,000' of the 
phone CO and there is a WISP (wireless internet provider @ 2.4 GHz) but I 
can't "see" their nodes.

The cable company won't wire our road as the density isn't great enough. 
Verizon will not allocate funds to build out DSL even though they are 
optical to the CO from Keene. I don't have a wireless access point I can see.

If the cable company, Verizon and WISP won't allocate the funds to build 
out broadband in my area, even though they already have 90% of the 
infrastructure in place, why would the power company? One of the promises 
of BPL is to bring broadband to those who can't get it now.

In the past, Venture capital companies have thrown billions of dollars at 
all kinds of cockamamie ideas. Are they still?

Power companies survive on providing us power and have few other revenue 
streams to develop. Would the return from offering BPL be great enough to 
justify the expenditure of millions by venture capital firms?

Five years ago before the bubble burst yes. But today, frankly, I doubt it.

Am I missing something?

As this has gone far from towers, but started here, reply to me and I'll 
summarize for the group.
73, Craig Clark, K1QX

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