BPL in Dallas is dead

The great broadband over power line experiment in Dallas has ended. No reason for of why the Current / DirectTV partnership is shutting down was stated, but the powerful Ham Radio lobby probably had more than a little to do with it. It’s no secret that the anti-competitive Cable / Telco duopoly interests are served by the demise of this new offering of choice to consumers.

An ambitious plan for using power lines to deliver fast Internet service to 2 million Dallas-area homes collapsed Thursday, when Oncor agreed to buy the system.

Current Communications said it will sell its so-called smart grid of networking equipment to the utility for $90 million.

Current expects to close the deal in a few weeks.

DirecTV customers who get Internet service through Current’s network will probably lose service then.

“Oncor is not in the telecommunications business, and it has no plans to get into the telecommunications business,” said Chris Schein, a spokesman for the Dallas-based company. (Denton RC)

BPL is still a promising technology in a world with too few options for broadband service. Who will be the first to implement? Probably an under served populace far from US soil that is outside of the reach of those who do not want a Third Pipe.