Power Surge

The FCC has another mega-issue on its groaning plate. Using electrical power lines to provide fast Internet connections is moving from the interesting idea phase to trial runs. Power companies would be another competitor to the phone and cable outfits who have their own lines running into homes.

That, of course, is all good and fits with the "managed" competition model the FCC dearly loves. But it looks like questions of spectrum interference caused by sending frequencies down unshielded power lines is getting the brush off. The electrical industry's position seems to boil down to "too bad" and the FCC is acting like ham radio operators and the like don't matter. Gee, the FCC in the pocket of corporate lobbyists? That never happens.

Broadband Reports has all the dope, including links to examples of interference.