This truly plug-and-play technology, if proven safe, has the blessings of federal regulators looking to bolster broadband competition, lower consumer prices and bridge the digital divide in rural areas.
Because virtually every building has a power plug, it "could simply blow the doors off the provision of broadband," Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell said last month.
For competition's sake, "absolutely, we would applaud it," says Edmond Thomas, chief of the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology.
"We're going to have an absolute stampede to move on this. This is a natural," said Alan Shark, president of the Power Line Communications Association, which includes Internet providers such as Earthlink as well as utility companies. "It'll change the way we do business on the Internet."
Digital power lines are believed to be able to carry data at roughly the same speeds as cable or DSL lines. And because electricity is more prevalent in homes than cable or even telephone lines, a vast new communications infrastructure could be born overnight -- notably in rural areas, where broadband access has lagged.
Still, there's no shortage of skepticism.
And in steps resopalrabotnic!
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57605,00.html
Boy I can't wait. St.Louis first as always.