DirecTV may try broadband on power lines

[k4kyv]

DirecTV would like to test delivering Internet access on power lines in a "top 50 city where you're covering at least half the city."

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1433448320070514?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&pageNumber=1

[WA1GFZ]

and I want to build a spark rig. 6 FQA11N90s will do about 6 KW peak at 400 volts

[WD8BIL]

Good.... I've been looking for a reason to cancel my DTV anyway.
Scumbags !

[WB1AEX]

I hope they meet with the same level of success (cough cough) as every other mis-guided business that has ventured into broadband over power line.

Rob WB1AEX

[flintstone mop]

IF they use an Amateur friendly system, there should be no problems. Motorola has one and one other manufacturer. But with all of the choices out here for access, why are they hanging on an ugly technology? Lets' get that fiber out there, folks!!!!!! Bandwidth galore and no problem with lightning or RFI.
Fred

[k4kyv]

IF they use an Amateur friendly system, there should be no problems. Motorola has one and one other manufacturer. But with all of the choices out here for access, why are they hanging on an ugly technology? Lets' get that fiber out there, folks!!!!!! Bandwidth galore and no problem with lightning or RFI.

That Motorola system is basically a power pole-to-house system.  It uses wireless technology to feed the utility pole in front of your house, and the power lines to feed  into your house.  An extension of the HomePlug system to the pole outdoors.  It is less obnoxious that the "last mile" systems, but fibre optic cable would be far superior.

Recently the local phone company contacted me, offering a discount if I changed over to their DSL service.  I presently use cable broadband.  I told them to contact me again as soon as they run fibre-optic and I might be interested.

[ab3al]

I are a directv dealer and a dishnet dealer.  I have already sent a note to our complaint department.. (like it will do any good).  Like others have mentioned there are many other viable systems out there including the motorala producuct that i have had the pleasure of working with on a few large campuses campi campeses (whatever).  The only reason any of these companies are looking into bpl is cost... although it is not the cheapest method everybody has electric that has a computer and that makes delivery a bit easier.  I have seen bpl systems in their full glory and the bandwidth is nothing to cheer about.  Fiber optic cable comes at about a cost of 45k a mile to burry and about 25k per mile to hang. and its not without its problems.  the cheapest way to deliver broadband to the masses is wifi.  But what knocks it down is the fact that it is almost line of sight only and many municipalities have put a moritorium on the construction of new towers.. Damn the kennnedys and their view.

From a business standpoint even though i can give a person a lot lower service cost per month if they take sattv and cable modem not many people are willing to see it and they are more receptive to all services on one bill.. If they come up with a good solution Ill have lots of money for more crap  lol

[W4EWH]

<RANT>

BPL is a problem for hams because it is an attractive option for several very big players who aren't concerned with hobbyist radio.

The most valuable thing that Electric Utilities own isn't their generating plant - it's their rights of way. Nobody else except Ma Bell has access to every building in America, and the electric companies, stung by high energy costs, bad investment choices, and burgeoning pension obligations, see BPL as free money that they can collect just by subleasing their wires.

To the movers and shakers of the electricity business, it doesn't matter that BPL will interfere with aircraft navigation, and it damn sure doesn't matter that we hams will lose the use of most of our HF allocations: those facts are what the corporate guys call "Externalities".

The money is green, the public appetite for porn and sleeze and old movies is insatiable, and hams don't count in that kind of a (excuse the expression) power play.

</RANT>

FWIW. YMMV.

Bill W1AC

[W3RSW]

Gee, some good may come of it.  Maybe they'll finally fix their arcing insulators, oxidized splices, shoddy connectors and phantom grounds.  Yeah, right.
R.

[k4kyv]

Fiber optic cable comes at about a cost of 45k a mile to bury and about 25k per mile to hang. and its not without its problems.

What makes it that expensive? That comes to $4.73 a foot, and $8.50 a foot when buried.  I thought the cost of fibre optic cable was pennies a foot.  Naturally the connectors and other electronic and mechanical hardware would add to the cost, but something seems wrong if those figures are correct, even granting that fibre is somewhat more expensive than copper.

Plus, fibre optic cable is said to cost less to maintain than traditional copper.

I am also curious about what the "other problems" are.

http://www.arcelect.com/fibercable.htm

[WB2EMS]

Don said "something seems wrong if those figures are correct, even granting that fibre is somewhat more expensive than copper."

Our infrastructure guys here at the university tell me fiber is *cheaper* than copper at this point. We have miles of both in all our buildings.

[W3RSW]

Don, probably singing to the choir here, but I guess the expense of fibre installations is about like city plant gas piping.  Big factor is the labor and equipment required to install it in high density, high population, and other common utilities area. So many crossings of foreign lines, under/over/around/about and all the other 52 prepositions.    Then you have road bores, or cut crossings with all the attendent re-filling and paving concerns.  You can have 52 lawyers for every land owner too; can't bar the installation but can request a re-route around property lines or other installed rights of way, etc.

You already mentioned the high cost of optical to Cu connectors, optical connectors, etc. as expensive and potentially not to relaible.

In case of metals burial, (metal jackets and hangers for fibre, metal sheaths or shields of any kind not to mention outright Cu and Fe piping, bonding to foreign lines with various cathodic protection resistance bonds or impressed voltage is necessary.  Cathodic protection in larger installatons is active and expensive, requiring drops from the local E utility at intervals along the line, rectifiers and buried anode beds (typically aluminum bars in coke breeze.)  The inteference of conflicting cathodic protection systems on all buried utilites is horrific in high density areas and has spawned numerous industries right down to outfits that provide black powder/aluminum/copper mixtures that rapidly burn and melt to weld/solder a #10 wire onto steel pipe.  Talk about stone age tech solving a high heat capacity problem.

Fibre probably requires a cable hanger for strength, the usual catenary problems when hanging and all the other conflict problems for burial.  What with all the "one call" or "call before you dig," liability problems, etc. it's a wonder anything gets laid anymore.  (pun intended.)   

Watching the Time Warner TV cable installers in my area, along with the attendent service infrastructure, specialized fleet, layers of technicians, etc. also reminds me of the high cost of stringing anything. 

Anyway for anything from 1/2" dia. tubing up to 2 3/8" black pipe, the cost per lay foot is just about constant, the pipe, cable or whatever being the smallest part of the cost in the smaller sizes.
$8.50 /ft. buried  probably represents an average between rural and city lay. Could run a lot higher in city.

And almost forgot, even if a utility already owns a R/W, in most states they have to go back to the individual public service commissions to petition for a new use of existing R/W.   A big  new revenue 'layer' for lawyers and all the bureaucracy that goes along with it in both the public and private sector.

[flintstone mop]

It's been a a couple of years since I dealt with installing fiber. But the price is cheaper than copper and the connectors are not the pain they used to be. Remember the special process that took place inside of an air conditioned van? They would shove the cable into an opening in the vehicle to so the tech can prepare / polish the fiber end and install the connector. The multiplexing equipment is dirt cheap. We could come close to a DS-3...45Mbps signal on a single piece of fiber. For lightning prone locations, you can't beat fiber. The Gas company I worked for was considering running fiber in their pipelines. The electric coops in Maryland were running fiber along their high tension lines and selling bandwidth. That was not cheap.
Verizon is offering fiber services to us regular folks in certain areas of the USA.
Fred

[KB2WIG]

Here in the Sorrycuse area, Verizon is trying to compete with the cable co.  They have installed the glass and are looking for customers for their inet, TV services  and phone service....   From the cable co, we have cable TV, broadband inet and phone. We droped Verison phone as the price was about $20.00 more than the cable tv people.... the cu is still attached to the house, so we can always switch back....   klc

[flintstone mop]

We have the Vonage VOIP on our Cumcast cable and it is ok. Verizon was outta this world for a dam telephone and Nationwide calling. I'll take $25 any time over $57. The telephone audio gets a little squirrely sometimes and the voice mail burps but it is alright. It'll be forever, in this small town, before "glass' is hung / laid.
And Don, the Motorola product sounds like the "Canopy" device. An unlicensed 5 point something GHZ spread spectrum digital microwave link; then an RF interface into the house.
G'day
Fred

[John Holotko]

I have fibre here and from a performance standpoint it's great. I had it installed back in November and thus far have had no downtime whatsoever. Speeds have been excellent far surpassing anything I could get from cable, dsl, etc. I live in lower Westchester NY and I've noticed that Verizon has pretty much run fibre everywhere. With the choices that are available here,i.e. fibre, dsl, cable, sattelite, etc. I don't see why anyone would want satellite.  f