After years of hype as the "great broadband hope" (as former FCC boss Mike Powell put it) broadband over power line (BPL) technology exists as essentially a largely dead niche broadband solution, outperformed by even many modern wireless technologies. The technology always suffered from interference concerns, and the utilities the services were targeted at weren't sold on the idea of jumping into a duopoly market against companies like AT&T that enjoy regulatory capture.
Despite oodles of hype, most of the companies involved in pushing BPL gear have moved on to selling smart power network monitoring gear to utilities, while the nation's once-touted revolutionary BPL trials (like Manassas, Virginia) have closed up shop.
This week BPL took another belated hit with the news that International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) will be closing their doors. In a message posted to their website (via Telecompetitor), the IBM-backed BPL provider blames April tornadoes for their closure.
"Due to our inability to overcome the financial damage from the April 27 2011 tornadoes that ravaged some of our major service areas, we regret that we have no other option than to close our doors and cease operations," says the company. "We expect that your service will remain active through the end of January 2012 but we cannot guarantee the quality and availability of your service during this period," adds IBEC.
While natural disasters are blamed for the company's problems, the fact that BPL was never a truly viable deliver option certainly takes much of the blame. IBEC and IBM initially claimed they'd invest $70 million to serve 340,000 homes in seven states, but the goal was continually scaled back as interference, costs, and deployment problems mounted.While the writing has been on the wall for BPL for at least half a decade, even last year Hunstville, Alabama-based IBEC was busily insisting BPL wasn't a dead technology. Just ignore the corpse laying squarely at their feet in plain sight to all.
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BPL Takes Posthumous Beating With IBEC Closure - ISP Blames Tornadoes, Though BPL Failures Played a Role
Posted: January 4th, 2012, 11:32am MST