Story claims that the problem with BPL (Broadband over Power Line) is that
CB and Ham radio will cause interference to it, making it unreliable!!

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.... On paper, using power lines as a means for distributing traffic
throughout a residence is a no-brainer. ... One contributing factor is the
possible interference from HAM or CB radio communications, say experts, that
could decrease the reliability of the transmissions.
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http://www.xchangemag.com/articles/681tech02.html

Full story:

The Latest Buzz on Powerline
By Meg McGinity

It's been talked about and promised for years, yet the market for it never
seems to materialize. But sporadic voices in the occasional booths and
panels around GLOBALCOMM earlier this summer were proclaiming
enthusiastically the promise - and growing presence - of broadband to and
through the home via power lines.

While many chip makers, device manufacturers and some innovative service
providers have been champing at the bit to leverage the electric
infrastructure so prevalent in many countries, utilities for the most part
have been reticent to jump into or partner with the broadband and networking
business. One of the things holding back the progression of tapping into
power lines for in-home networking has been the conservative nature of the
utility companies that own the assets, say executives. "Utilities have been
slow to grasp this," says Chano Gomez, vice president of technology and
strategic partnerships at DS2 (Design of Systems on Silicon), which supplies
high-speed powerline chips to device makers such as NETGEAR. "They are
waiting for the pioneers."

Those pioneers smell a market. That's because as service providers continue
to invest in network upgrades that promise faster connections to the home,
they are faced with the quagmire of how to distribute that fat pipe
throughout the residence. "The problem providers have is they know how to
bring broadband to the home, but they can't distribute the signals inside,"
says Gomez.

The more appliances in the home that can access more applications, the more
a service provider could recoup in added revenue. That's where using
powerline technology as a means for trafficking content throughout the home
comes in.


CURRENT Communications' Jim Dondero

On paper, using power lines as a means for distributing traffic throughout a
residence is a no-brainer. For one, electric lines are prevalent in nearly
every home, so there would be no install required or disruption to a
customer, or big investment by a carrier for equipment. It's getting more
economical, too, say executives. Today, adding the powerline communication
capability chip to a home gateway device adds about $25, but by year's end,
with bigger volumes being produced, that cost will drop to about $15,
estimates Gomez.

While only tech-savvy consumers at this point would know enough to buy the
equipment in stores, standards and trade groups, like HomePlug Powerline
Alliance, are pushing to make such equipment more robust and interoperable.
One challenge, executives say, is dispelling the "quirky" label with which
home-plug networking has been labored. One contributing factor is the
possible interference from HAM or CB radio communications, say experts, that
could decrease the reliability of the transmissions. Another potential
problem for the powerline advocates is the difficulty in ensuring the
quality of the electric wiring inside the home.

Other technologies aimed at home networking also have their strengths and
vulnerabilities. For instance, wireless technology, which has gained
momentum in modems for its portability factor, can have reliability,
interference and security problems. Consumers have been buying their own
access points for the home and stringing them together to create a network,
much to the chagrin of providers, say industry executives. "Wireless in the
home is a service provider's worst nightmare," says Tom Wendt, founder of
Optical Entertainment Network. "We are finding consumers say 'come fix that
for me.'"

Coax is another transport option, as championed by companies like Entropic
Communications Inc. The company's network processor, c.Link, threads
together devices using coax. Coax is abundant in homes and easy to work with
and has the backing of organizations like MoCA (The Multimedia over Coax
Alliance), but the physical wiring and drilling through walls for
installation is not aesthetically ideal to consumers.

Gomez says the market outside the United States for powerline technology is
gaining traction at a faster pace. Telefonica S.A., he says, already is
using power lines for IPTV distribution within the home. European providers
are eyeing it for gaming applications, linking one box to another.

Still, the powerline technology and movement has its skeptics. Some device
vendors say that while they are testing it as a means for networking in
their labs, the jury is out on the technology. "RBOCs want wireless," says
Frank Galuppo, CEO at Amedia Networks Inc.

But even if skeptics are right and powerline technology ends up being the
best solution only for the "odd room out" - like the kitchen that doesn't
have coax or the porch that can't get strong wireless reception - rather
than the whole home, that slice of the networking market could be enough to
power up the powerline industry.

Of course, powerline technology is also a form of broadband access in the
loop. This commonly is referred to as Broadband over Power Line (BPL)
technology. And the most high-profile company pushing ahead BPL is probably
CURRENT Communications Services LLC, which counts as investors such marquee
names as Google and Liberty Media.

CURRENT Communications has partnered with utilities to use the electrical
grid as means for broadband delivery to the home. Once the network passes a
home, the customer can plug the provided modem into the outlet, connect the
appliance and get high-speed access. Using the powerline infrastructure also
will enable CURRENT and the partnering utility to offer security services
like home surveillance, or telemetric applications, like automatic meter
reading.

CURRENT has passed 50,000 homes in Cincinnati, and although the company won'
t discuss subscriber numbers there, Jim Dondero, vice president of marketing
at CURRENT, says 55 percent of CURRENT's customers have switched over from
DSL and cable.

As announced last year, the company also is working with Texas energy
utility TXU, with plans to turn on service by year's end.

CURRENT plans to pass 2 million homes within the next few years, Dondero
says.