BPL freedom from unbundling no panacea

The FCC moved to level the regulatory playing field between broadband over powerline, or BPL, and other forms of broadband this month, though BPL is not in the same ballpark as DSL and cable modem.

Following similar actions for cable and DSL, the FCC classified BPL as an information service (not a telecom service), freeing it from unbundling obligations and perhaps encouraging investment in the sparsely used technology. “People were sticking their toe in little by little,” said Frank Matarazzo, Telkonet president. “You're going to see a lot more people jump in.”

Those who urged the FCC to act seem eager to move forward. For example, San Diego Gas & Electric, which has been trialing BPL technology since July 2005, announced last month that it would deploy Ambient BPL nodes. But not everyone believes the FCC order will spur a noticeable change in the pace of BPL adoption.

“I don't necessarily think the regulatory environment was keeping BPL from growing,” said Nicole Klein, a Yankee Group analyst. “I think the economics of it are keeping it from growing.” As a late comer, BPL won't find much room in markets already claimed by DSL and cable and will have to settle for less economically desirable climes.

One commissioner who approved the new classification even questioned the notion that it would fuel BPL deployment. Commissioner Michael Copps wrote in his statement supporting the order, “We seem to proceed on the happy presumption that if providers are free from [unbundling] regulation, they will magically devote their attention and capital to building broadband infrastructure. The results? Well, after several years of [broadband service] reclassification, not many. As other nations race at warp speed into the digital future, this one plods along at turtle velocity.”

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For the first time, the International Telecommunications Union is taking its ITU Telecom World event away from its traditional home at the Palexpo in Geneva and moving instead to Hong Kong, China, where 600 exhibitors and as many as 50,000 attendees from 160 countries are expected to attend Dec. 4-8.

“Living the Digital World” is the show's theme, and it's being explored through three separate programming tracts: Digital Lifestyles, Digital Ecosystem and Digital Society. Topics being explored include the future of regulation, how digital technology affects home life and work life, and almost every aspect of the telecom network's evolution, including technology, billing, network management and marketing.

Among the many keynote speakers are Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, Lucent Technologies CEO Patricia Russo, Motorola Chairman and CEO Edward Zander and Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs.

Telephony Editor-at-Large Carol Wilson will be attending ITU Telecom World and filing daily reports from Hong Kong on the major events of the conference and activity on the exhibit floor as well.
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