[SMCARA] BPL in Southern MD

[JD Delancy]

See W1RFI's comments  below


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Hare, Ed W1RFI
To: JD Delancy ; SMCARA ; SMARC
Cc: W7UH ; Jahnke, Bart, W9JJ ; w2xbs at twiar.org ; aj at aj3u.com ; Bodson,
Dennis (Dir, Roanoke)
Sent: Saturday, 26, March, 2005 22:05
Subject: [SMARC] RE: BPL in Southern MD


Actually, this may not be entirely bad news.

This particular test is truly a test.  They want to do some testing to see
how BPL functions, especially wrt latency issues (propagation delay).  Even
a few hundred milliseconds of delay can make voice and streaming video a
disaster.

Ed


-----Original Message----- 
From: JD Delancy [mailto:w1jd at drix.net]
Sent: Sat 3/26/2005 3:49 PM
To: SMCARA; SMARC; Hare, Ed W1RFI
Cc: W7UH; Jahnke, Bart, W9JJ; w2xbs at twiar.org; aj at aj3u.com
Subject: BPL in Southern MD


Following PRESS RELEASE found at:  http://www.smeco.coop/about/press/bpl.htm
(here we go, into the BPL squabbles with the rest of the country..)

SMECO Hosts High-Speed Internet Pilot
March 21, 2005
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) is one of two sites selected
to host a pilot project to test Broadband Over Power Line (BPL) service. The
second site is West Florida Electric Cooperative in Graceville, Florida.
BPL is a technology that can transport high-speed Internet signals using the
same power lines used to transport electricity to homes and businesses. BPL
is being investigated for its potential to serve customers in less densely
populated areas. These customers are often left out by cable, telephone, and
wireless companies offering high-speed Internet access because those
companies typically serve densely populated areas. Many rural residents and
businesses are left with no Internet options other than dial-up.
The host co-ops were chosen carefully: West Florida for its Gulf Coast
weather, high temperatures, humidity, and frequent lightning storms, and
SMECO for its pockets of density and rural areas of customers and its
location, which is convenient for government agencies to visit.
The BPL pilot, scheduled to run from May through October, will be
spearheaded by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA)
Cooperative Research Network (CRN) and the National Rural Telecommunications
Cooperative (NRTC). CRN has hired Powerline Telco as the project manager to
assist with design, deployment, and monitoring; two vendor teams, ACcess
Broadband/Current Technologies and Electrolinks, will contribute equipment
and staff support. Additional manufacturers are also being sought for
participation in the pilot. SMECO has selected MVI Services, a Waldorf-based
company, to provide Internet services for the project.
The project will measure the performance of broadband signals across
electric power lines, including typical signal speed and distance.
Reliability and performance over long distances in low-population areas
through distribution lines will be recorded. In addition, tests related to
radio frequency interference will be conducted. BPL configurations currently
in use are suitable for distributing broadband service to clusters of homes;
however, systems may need to be redesigned to serve sparsely populated areas
over long distances.
Electric cooperatives typically serve sparsely populated areas over long
distribution lines. Steve Collier, Vice President of Emerging Technologies
at NRTC, explains, “The purpose of the pilot project is to provide electric
cooperatives with real data. This data will help co-ops determine the role
that BPL can have in any plan to serve their communities with broadband
Internet access.”
SMECO’s role in the pilot is to assist with installing hardware in
substations and on transformers, as well as installing automated devices at
various locations to simulate heavy end-users. Specific tests will be
conducted with these devices located in the Hughesville and Mechanicsville
areas to measure and document the performance of this BPL system. Few actual
participants will be required, because most of these tests are automated and
the devices record the data.
“Thanks to the investments made by CRN and NRTC, SMECO’s costs will be
minimal, and the knowledge the Co-op gains will be invaluable,” says Joe
Slater, SMECO’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Participating in
this pilot will give SMECO first-hand information about how BPL operates on
our system, and we can make a well-informed decision about providing this
service to our customer-members. We’ll also be able to assist our sister
co-ops by allowing representatives from government agencies to observe the
BPL tests.” Slater gives assurances that these tests will not interfere with
customers’ electric service.
CRN and NRTC representatives noted that the pilot projects will seek to
establish baseline performance criteria and measurements that can be used to
evaluate future generations of technologies and products as BPL systems
continue to evolve.
Additional information can be found on the web at www.smeco.coop,
www.nrtc.coop, www.electrolinks.com, and www.accessbroadband.com.


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