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Sept. 26, 2006 The biggest debate in the communications industry in years is the dispute over Net neutrality. On one side of the debate are all of the big service providers such as AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, and more. On the other side the line-up includes Google, the Consumers Union, and many other groups such as MoveOn.org and Craigslist.org who believe that without Net neutrality, many of the freedoms enjoyed on the Internet will disappear. The service providers basically want to establish two tiers of use on the Internet – a faster and a slower service. They have come up with support from some in Congress for a comprehensive telecommunications bill that will do just that. The bill, however, has faced stiff opposition and its most ardent supporter, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska , recently admitted that it does not have the votes needed to pass. What may occur is a stalemate as both sides battle for the final advantage. At stake is billions of dollars that can go in any of several directions. Or not. If the service providers gain the upper hand, they will prevent virtually all of their competitors from having access to the consumer. How? Most of the large telcos, particularly the former Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) own the “last mile” to the home. And at some point communications run across a wired system – even wireless communications rely on wired backhaul. That is, nothing goes wireless end-to-end. If the big service companies get the bill they want many believe they will choke off everyone else. If the open Internet group – those who support Net neutrality – get their way, many believe that the bigger players won’t invest in much new infrastructure. Either way, a potential stalemate looms. There is one factor that may get things going for the emergence of high-speed broadband access across the nation. That factor is broadband over powerline (BPL). This emerging technology utilizes powerlines to transport broadband to the home. The latest technology in this arena allows for super fast transmission of broadband. One company, Ambient Corporation, now offers 200 mbps compared to 25 mbps on competitive venues (a disclosure – the author holds investment in Ambient). This BPL technology allows the opportunity to bypass the last mile chokehold that the big service providers have on the communications industry. It also allows wireless technology a path past the telco incumbents and into the home. Dr. Robert Raciti, Senior Vice-President at GE Commercial Finance, points out: “This low-cost alternative can also help accelerate the adoption of broadband that will drive the digital distribution of content including video, audio, games, IPTV, and the next generation of interactive digital content.” BPL will be a major player as the new demands for broadband speed and capabilities are going to outstrip the current capabilities. BPL’s new super fast delivery system is what the communications industry needs, and it will break the pending stalemate. It will allow companies like Earthlink to get their services to the consumers, regardless of what other services providers do to hamper those efforts. In fact Earthlink has joined Ambient’s advisory board. Motorola has tried a variety of delivery systems for in-building communications transportation and found BPL to be the best – better than cable, wireless, or DSL. In addition to the vast communications package that BPL will present to the consumer, other commercial applications will also be employed BPL will be used for ‘smart metering’ in the utility industry. Smart metering will put a lot of meter readers out of business as it enables the utility to check on a customer’s meter from the office. This will also allow the customer to control the house from a distance, turning on the lights, for instance, prior to arriving home on a winter night. BPL is the answer to the Net neutrality puzzle and will allow broadband expansion to continue at a hot pace in spite of the traffic jam in Congress. ------------ About the author: Dwayne Hines currently has 12 books selling in major bookstores and writes for major magazines such as Physical and FitnessRX. Email Dwayne Hines: dhines@cpu-net.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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