The document discusses broadband over power lines (BPL) as a potential solution to providing broadband internet access to rural areas. It explains that BPL works by transmitting voice and internet data signals over existing power lines using a technology similar to digital subscriber line (DSL) that sends higher frequency signals carrying data alongside the lower frequency alternating current. The document also discusses regulatory issues around whether BPL would be classified as a telecommunications or information service and debates around how internet service providers should be regulated, particularly regarding net neutrality.

1. 20 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. / DOI 10.1002/gas.21837 NATURAL GAS & ELECTRICITY JUNE 2015
David L. Crawley (davidlcrawley@aol.com) is
a published marketing executive specializing in
the upstream to downstream energy industry
segments. His range of energy branding and
innovation experience includes energy tech
firms, geoscience software, landman companies,
energy marketers, exploration and production
corporations, and utilities.
Is Broadband Over Power Lines a Smart
Idea?
David L. Crawley
Local Distribution Companies
Broadband is the dream challenge of the
early twenty-first century. Like electricity a
century ago, which fueled the telecommuni-
cations- and information-based economies of
the twentieth century, broadband is the foun-
dation for economic growth, global competi-
tiveness, and a better way of life. Broadband
enables new innovation that unlocks new op-
portunities. It will change how we educate
our children, deliver health care, manage the
energy grid, and access, organize, and dissemi-
nate knowledge.
The number of Americans who have
broadband at home has grown from
8 million in 2000 to over 88 million
households.1 Increasingly capable fixed and
mobile networks allow Americans to access
a growing number of valuable applications
through innovative devices. At present,
almost all homes in dense-population areas
are connected to the Internet via the main
cable and WiFi providers.
However, the dream of everyone-
everywhere has yet to be reached in rural
areas. Deployment of Internet to rural areas
is considered too expensive for a telecoms
company to provide broadband. The solution
could be BPL (broadband over power lines),
also called EOP (Ethernet over power)—a way
of piping broadband to homes and channeling
it from one room to another using the standard
electricity supply.2
Deployment of Internet to rural areas is considered
too expensive for a telecoms company to provide
broadband.
Broadband via power line to home wiring
is certainly encouraging, because most homes
in the world are served by power lines. In
addition, most buildings are threaded with
electrical wires allowing connectivity to power
in almost every room. By using broadband
over power lines, homeowners can get a high-
speed Internet connection—up to 3 megabits
per second—just by plugging a special modem
into any outlet.
That matches cable modem speeds and
outpaces most DSL offerings.
WHAT IS BPL?
Broadband over power lines (BPL) is a
technology that allows voice and Internet
data to be transmitted over utility power
lines. Broadband over power lines also goes
by a few other names and acronyms: power
line communications (PLC), power line
telecommunications, and power line broadband
are terms also used. Many people use the terms
PLC and BPL interchangeably. The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) chose to
use the term “broadband over power lines” for
consumer applications.

2. JUNE 2015 NATURAL GAS & ELECTRICITY DOI 10.1002/gas / © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 21
area. (You also may see a fourth wire that is the
ground wire.)
Broadband Internet through the phone
system works by splitting an ordinary
telephone line into a number of separate
channels. Some of them carry phone calls, as
usual; some carry downloads (information
coming from the Internet to your home); and
some handle uploads (information going the
opposite way). Broadband uses low-frequency
electric signals to carry ordinary phone calls
and higher-frequency signals to carry Internet
data. Electronic filters separate the two kinds
of signal, with the low frequencies going to
your telephone and the higher frequencies
to your Internet modem. BPL uses the same
principle as sending broadband over a phone
line: a high-frequency signal carrying the
broadband data is superimposed on the lower-
frequency, alternating current that carries a
home’s ordinary electric power.
BPL uses the same principle as sending broad-
band over a phone line: a high-frequency signal
carrying the broadband data is superimposed.
A key question is whether broadband is
a telecommunications technology or a data/
information-based service. In the 1996 Telecom
Act, Congress made a distinction between
two types of services: “telecommunications
services” and “information services.”7
“Telecommunications services” transmit a
user’s information from one designated point to
another without changing the form or content
of that information. For example, a phone call
transmits the user’s voice from one point to
another without changing the content of the
voice message, similar to the way FedEx would
deliver a package.
On the other hand, “information services”
offerauserthecapabilitytocreate,store,orprocess
information. Once that information is created,
it might be transmitted via telecommunications,
but the creation of the message would be done
via information services. Telecommunications
services, such as traditional phone service, are
subject to common carrier rules. Information
services are not subject to common carrier rules.
In order to make use of BPL, subscribers use
neither a phone, cable, nor satellite connection.
Instead, a subscriber installs a modem that
plugs into an ordinary wall outlet and pays a
subscription fee similar to those paid for other
types of Internet service. All are “carrier-current”
systems, a term used to describe systems that
intentionally conduct signals over electrical
wiring or power lines.3
A subscriber installs a modem that plugs into an
ordinary wall outlet and pays a subscription fee
similar to those paid for other types of Internet
service.
On April 23, 2003, the FCC adopted a
Notice of Inquiry expressing enthusiasm about
the potential of the BPL technology to enable
electric power lines to function as a third wire
into the home, and create competition with the
copper telephone line and cable television coaxial
cable line.4 The commission subsequently issued
a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in
February 2004 based on the comments received
in response to the Inquiry.5 Both the Inquiry
and NPRM discuss two types of BPL: (1) Access
BPL and (2) In-house BPL.
FCC adopted a Notice of Inquiry expressing
enthusiasm about the potential . . . to enable
electric power lines to function as a third wire
into the home and create competition with the
copper telephone line and cable television co-
axial cable line.
Access BPL is a technology that provides
broadband access over medium-voltage power
lines.6 Medium-voltage power lines are the
electric lines that you see at the top of electric
utility poles beside the roadways in areas that do
not have underground electric service. Typically
there are three electric lines (called phases A, B,
and C), each carrying several thousand volts.
One phase is usually enough to power the houses
on a residential street, while two or even three
phases can be joined together to power the big
electric motors in an industrial or commercial

3. 22 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. / DOI 10.1002/gas NATURAL GAS & ELECTRICITY JUNE 2015
Title II of the 1934 Communications Act10
established regulated telecommunications
common carriers, defined in a circular fashion
as “any person engaged as a common carrier
for hire”11 Common carriage was defined,
unhelpfully, as “[a]ny person engaged in
rendering communications service for hire to
the public.” Even so, in congressional debates
leading to the 1934 Act, assurances were given
that “common carriage” was well understood
and needed little explanation.
In congressional debates leading to the 1934 Act,
assurances were given that “common carriage”
was well understood and needed little explanation.
When does common carriage arise? For
common carriage, service must be offered, on
demand, to the public at large or to a group
of people generally, and the carrier “must
hold himself out as ready to engage in the
transportation of goods for hire as a business,
not as a casual occupation.”12
And “[w]hether a carrier is a common
carrier . . . does not depend upon whether its
charter declares it to be such, . . . but upon
what it does.”13
The following factors are important in
determining common carriage:
• Service is regular.
• Customers are not readily predictable and are
changeable.
• The carrier solicits business from the general
public—for example, by advertising.
• Law and regulations define the responsibili-
ties of the parties.
For contract carriers, on the other hand, the
following are factors:
• Service may be occasional.
• The clientele is identifiable and stable.
• Carriers solicit business on a targeted and in-
dividualized basis.
• Contracts define parties’ responsibilities.
The duty to carry does not mean that a carrier
cannot refuse service, such as in circumstances
The FCC has revived discourse around
the open Internet (commonly referred to
as net neutrality), what it really means for
consumers, and the future of the Internet.
In this discussion, the FCC has regulated
broadband as a utility. This subject opens the
discussion as to whether the current Internet
Service Providers are to be considered
“common carriers.” For now, the discussion
regarding broadband description tends to be
leaning toward telecommunications.
And why not—how many people are now
using Voice over IP Internet-based phone and
video conferencing from computing devices?
WHAT ARE COMMON CARRIERS?
Put simply, common carriers are companies
that sell their services to everyone on the same
terms and are also responsible for any loss of the
goods during transport.8 This is in contrast to
those companies that make more individualized
decisions about who to serve and what to charge.
Although common carriers generally transport
peopleorgoods,9 intheUnitedStatesthetermmay
also refer to telecommunications service providers
and public utilities such as electricity companies.
In the United States the term may also refer to
telecommunications service providers and pub-
lic utilities.
The term originally applied to companies
that carried goods or passengers (like railroads
or shipping companies), but after the invention
of the telephone and the spread of electric
utilities, the term was also applied to phone
and electricity companies. Congress created
laws to make sure that phone and other utilities
provided basic service to all customers on a
nondiscriminatory basis and at reasonable
prices. This legislation enabled an open
market to thrive, leveraging common carrier
services to fuel new innovations in multiple
business sectors across the community. For
phone companies, common carrier regulations
included strict pricing rules that determined
how much they can charge while also ensuring
that the companies made enough money to
stay in business.

4. JUNE 2015 NATURAL GAS & ELECTRICITY DOI 10.1002/gas / © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 23
to individual homes, utilities can pinpoint
locations without light.
With BPL systems watching the flow of data to
individual homes, utilities can pinpoint locations
without light.
BROADBAND IS SMARTBAND—WAYS
TO IMPROVE THE GRID
Power usage by computers and other digital
devices is increasing every day. Some electric
utilities are evaluating whether BPL will bring
them closer to an elusive goal: on-demand, real-
time management.
Several years ago HP pioneered a program
to encourage and enable power conservation
managementatthehome.TheHPsolutionrelies
on independent, network-enabled devices (e.g.,
smart meters, smart thermostats, and sensors) to
provide frequent data uploads.14 However, BPL
could help by taking constant measurements as
a holistic resource direct from the power line.
Some experts argue that existing approaches,
using two-way pagers, are good enough and that
new wireless options are cheaper. With proper
testing, we might discover that BPL systems are
faster and more reliable.
Today the very idea of a holistic smart elec-
trical network that allows homeowners and resi-
dents to monitor and manage their power usage
is still embryonic. As demand for cheap Internet
access is mounting, especially in rural communi-
ties, so is the need for better power management.
To satisfy user demand and business efficiencies,
utilities can embrace broadband and thereby
bring the electrical system into the Internet Age.
As demand for cheap Internet access is mounting,
especially in rural communities, so is the need for
better power management.
Our aging electrical grid is composed of a
patchwork of new technology throughout an
outdated infrastructure. It’s not just a system
that could deliver energy more efficiently—to
many, the country’s electric grid is increasingly
vulnerable. To ensure American energy
of potential damage, unreasonably high risks, or
beyond a reasonable capacity.
SHOULD ENERGY COMPANIES GET
INVOLVED IN THE DEBATE?
The question remains, should energy
companies get involved in the broadband
debate, offer broadband over power lines, and
directly invest in the infrastructure to deliver
broadband? All are good questions to ponder
prudently, as over the next decade advancing
technology eventually will make the BPL option
more viable for electricity utilities.
Over the next decade, advancing technology
eventually will make the BPL option more viable
for electricity utilities.
However, as one thinks on these topics,
one must also consider added benefits for BPL
for providers that consider options beyond
the end-user. Because electricity courses over
the low-frequency portions of power lines,
there’s room for data to stream over higher
frequencies. For years, utilities have sent basic
network-maintenance data across their lines at
relatively low data rates. Now, by installing
more sophisticated computer chips into the
network, electric utilities can send and receive
fast data streams for more high-bandwidth
applications, such as real-time, always-on
meter reading.
Electric utilities can send and receive fast data
streams for more high-bandwidth applications,
such as real-time, always-on meter reading.
Conventional wisdom champions the notion
that electricity companies will welcome cost
savings from improved energy management. By
injecting broadband-based intelligence into the
farthest reaches of the power system, utilities
would be able to monitor their networks in
ways never before possible. Currently, for
example, power companies don’t know about
local outages until customers report them.
With BPL systems watching the flow of data

5. 24 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. / DOI 10.1002/gas NATURAL GAS & ELECTRICITY JUNE 2015
NOTES
1. National Telecommunications and Information
Administration. (2013, June 6). Household broadband
adoption climbs 724 percent. Retrieved from http://www.
ntia.doc.gov/blog/2013/household-broadband-adoption-
climbs-724-percent.
2. Woodford, C. (2014, May 28). Broadband over power lines.
Retrieved from http://www.Explainthatstuff.com.
3. Internet World Stats. (2015). Surfing and site guide.
Retrieved from http://www.InternetWorldStats.com.
4. The Inquiry was issued to solicit comments to assist the
Commission in reviewing its Part 15 rules to facilitate the
deployment of Access BPL while ensuring that licensed
services continue to be protected. In the Inquiry, the
Commission encouraged continued deployment of Access
BPL systems that comply with the existing rules. See Inquiry
Regarding Carrier Current Systems, Including Broadband over
Power Line Systems, Notice of Inquiry, ET Docket No. 03-
104, 18 FCC Rcd 8498 (2003).
5. In the Matter of Carrier Current Systems, including Broadband
over Power Line Systems and Amendment of Part 15 regarding
new requirements and measurement guidelines for Access
Broadband over Power Line Systems, Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM), ET Docket Nos. 03-104 and 04-37,
19 FCC Rcd 3335 (2004).
6. The FCC’s Report and Order on BPL defines Access
BPL as “A carrier current system installed and operated
on an electric utility service as an unintentional radiator
that sends radio frequency energy on frequencies between
1.705 MHz and 80 MHz over medium voltage lines or
low voltage lines to provide broadband communications
and is located on the supply side of the utility service’s
points of interconnections with customer premises.” In The
Matter of Amendment of Part 15 regarding new requirements
and measurement guidelines for Access Broadband over Power
Line Systems; Carrier Current Systems, including Broadband
over Power Line Systems, Report and Order, ET Docket
Nos. 03-104 and 04-37, para. 29 (rel. Oct. 28, 2004).
(“BPL Report and Order”)
7. NCTA. (2014, January 27). Why it’s a good thing that
broadband isn’t a common carrier. Retrieved from http://
www.ncta.com/platform/public-policy/why-its-a-good-
thing-that-broadband-isnt-a-common-carrier/.
8. Common carrier. (2015, February 26). Wikipedia. Retrieved
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_carrier#cite_
note-3.
9. Noam, E. J. (1994, March 15). Beyond liberalization II:
The impending doom of common carriage. Retrieved
from http://www.columbia.edu/dlc/wp/citi/citinoam11.
html#note.
10. 47 U.S.C. Sections 201–221.
11. See Note 9.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. HP. (2015). Smart grid solutions: Revolutionize the grid with
smart meter. Retrieved from http://www8.hp.com/us/en/
business-services/it-services.html?compURI=1079607#.
VT2crvDe-5g.
15. FCC. (n.d.). Broadband & energy and the environment.
Retrieved from http://www.broadband.gov/issues/
energy-and-the-environment.html.
16. Ibid.
independence and efficiency, perhaps BPL
paired with high-tech tools like dynamic
management software and remote sensors could
support advancing innovations in renewable
power, grid maintenance and storage.
For the most part, families and businesses
know little about their electricity consumption
and related costs until they receive their
monthly utility bill. Studies have repeatedly
demonstrated that when people get feedback on
theirelectricityusage,theymakesimplechanges
that save energy.15 Real-time information
can also inform automated thermostats and
appliances, enabling consumers to save energy
and money automatically, while helping the
country avoid new expensive power plants.
To unleash innovation in smart homes and
buildings, residents can use broadband to
track and manage their real-time energy
consumption.
Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that when
people get feedback on their electricity usage,
they make simple changes that save energy.
If computers using ordinary power lines
in homes are able to holistically connect to
technology-based devices, then connecting
domestic appliances both to one another and to
the Internet is a logical next step. Smart homes
(in which appliances are connected by electronic
controllers or computers) have used this basic
idea for years, but BPL would take it much
further and be potentially economically feasible.
Just imagine the possibilities: BPL could take
holistic and inexpensive control to an amazing
new level.
There are over 3,000 electric utilities across
the country,16 with different topographies,
environments, and regulatory regimes. Perhaps
a prudent approach is to develop best practices
with BPL to develop new and improved power
management capabilities leveraging the
broadband from their own lines. If these prove
reliable, then extending the key performance
indexes and intelligence to deliver BPL direct
to the end-user for lifestyle and productivity
uses may be a viable and seamless next-step
option.