[SMCARA] BPL in St Mary's??

[JD Delancy]

Tom

I saw the same thing amd wrote and email to SMECO.  They sent the following on their letterhead as an attachment to the responding email (cut-and-pasted here since the listserv doesn't pass attachments)

QUOTE..

Dear Sir,

 

My name is Tom Tudor and I Chair our Power Line Carrier (PLC) Committee, also referred to as Broadband over Power Lines (BPL).  SMECO created this committee early last year to investigate this technology.  SMECO committee members researched various versions of PLC/BPL technology, potential applications in our service territory, financial requirements to support such activities, and the regulatory requirements.  A pilot project was also selected and a cost estimate developed.  The committee's conclusions were submitted to the President and Chief Executive Officer in late October, 2003 and include:

 

1.       PLC/BPL is not a mature technology at this time.  It can only achieve 256 Kbps speed and can only be used every 2,000 feet before a repeater is required.  This is less than the customer requested 1 Mbps and creates excessive costs per service in rural areas of the service territory. 

 

2.      SMECO should participate in the Maryland Rural Broadband Initiative underway by the Tri-County Council For Southern Maryland.

 

SMECO has been participating in the Tri-County Council For Southern Maryland efforts in support of the Rural Maryland Broadband Initiative.  Another committee member and myself attend regular meetings in Hughesville, participate in providing updates to our local county and state elected officials, and participate in the State Rural Broadband Task Force hearings in Annapolis on which State Senator Middleton and State Delegate Jameson serve.  Both elected officials are from Southern Maryland.

 

Our committee continues to actively monitor pilot projects around the country, meets with equipment vendors and system integrators, and keeps abreast of advances in this technology.  SMECO visited the Current Communications/PEPCO and City of Manassas, Virginia/Main.net and other PLC/BPL Projects last year and look forward to the completion of these pilot projects.  In addition, there are additional pilot projects underway, such as the one at Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, which we have discussed their arrangement with the BPL vendor with that cooperative's Project Manager.  

SMECO is scheduled to be part of a BPL vendor equipment test.  Basically, the vendor will set up two cameras, one at our Hughesville Substation and the other at a nearby facility.  Two employees of the BPL vendor company will view each other from each location, the streaming video will travel two-way over the primary and secondary distribution lines while noise level measurements are taken at both locations.  Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) representatives will be on hand to witness the test.  We are waiting for the vendor to verify the test date.

 

 

 

Note:  The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency of  the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch's principal voice on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues. NTIA works to spur innovation, encourage competition, help create jobs and provide consumers with more choices and better quality telecommunications products and services at lower prices. (Source is NTIA website)

 

The technology has reportedly broken the 2 Mbps speed and we are working to verify this among other advances in this technology.  SMECO continues to investigate this technology to ascertain how it can economically and reliably benefit our customers.   

 

Please feel free to contact me directly to discuss any part of this response or PLC/BPL technology directly.  I can be reached at 301-274-4459.

 

Tom Tudor

Contract Administrator

Corporate Services Department

SMECO

15035 Burnt Store Road

Hughesville, MD  20637-1937

(301) 274-4459

Tom.Tudor at smeco.coop

 

UNQUOTE

    jd

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clarke, Tom VX-20 OPS" <frederic.clarke at navy.mil>
To: <smcara at mailman.qth.net>; "M_NAVAIR_PAXR_MARS_UD" <M_NAVAIR_PAXR_MARS_UD at navy.mil>
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2004 9:45 AM
Subject: [SMCARA] BPL in St Mary's??


> I happened to glance at the newsletter in my last SMECO bill and what to my surprise did I read, that SMECO is considering BPL for St Mary's.  I am afraid the FCC is hyping this BPL business as a "money maker" for power suppliers and the siren song of increased revenue may be hard to fight.
> 
> We need to keep on top of this and if they do decide to experiment, make sure we have a lot of information not rhetoric, to convince the powers to be (pun intended), that there is no economic advantage in pursuing BPL.  Economics, not the specter of interference will be the deciding factor unfortunately.
> 
> I think I will see what kind of materials the ARRL has to offer.  Direct contact with SMECO will also keep the interference factor on the table.  Especially important will be case studies involving municipalities and companies that have considered and rejected BPL.  Cedar Rapids comes to mind.
> 
> 73 de  Tom/W4OKW
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