Broadband over Power Lines (BPL)

The focus of this paper is to provide an overview of developments in broadband power linetechnologies and related policy issues. The electric power grid is a hostile environment for high-speed datatransmission, but after years of development, the technology to deliver high-speed data over the existingelectric power delivery network has emerged, somewhat tentatively, in the marketplace. This technology,referred to as Broadband over Power Lines (BPL), uses medium- and low-voltage power lines to providebroadband Internet access to residential users and businesses and is considered by some as a third accesstechnology offering potential competition to xDSL telecommunication lines and cable modems. Recenttrends, however, indicate that the focus of BPL technology is shifting from providing broadbandconnectivity to smart meter usage allowing households to reduce energy costs and allow energy companiesto better manage their networks by developing a “smart grid”.