October 16, 2004
EarthLink says it will begin providing Internet connections over Consolidated Edison's power lines in Manhattan in the next several months, following last week's FCC vote establishing new ground rules for commercial deployment of the service.
Con Ed, EarthLink and technology services company Ambient Corp. are signing agreements with apartment building owners to roll out the service.
Con Ed also plans to use broadband over power lines, or BPL, to run diagnostics, manage residential power load and, ultimately, allow consumers to regulate their electricity usage -- control their air conditioners, for instance-- via the Internet, the company said.
BPL opens an entirely new pathway for high-speed communications, potentially reaching areas underserved by telephone companies and cable systems, said Dave Baker, EarthLink vice president of law and public policy.
BPL ... has great potential to become the third broadband wire into the home. EarthLink has been actively involved for several years with the development of BPL, and we are encouraged by this opportunity as a new platform to deliver broadband services to consumers," Baker said after the FCC vote.
