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broadband Internet

Nov 24 2008   1:30PM GMT

Overheard: 62% of rural America is still dialing up



Posted by: Margaret Rouse
FCC, Technology, broadband Internet, white space devices, white space spectrum
arik_hesseldahl.jpg According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, released in July, only 38% of rural American households have access to high-speed Internet connections.

Arik Hesseldahl, Bringing Broadband to Rural America

Comcast  is constantly looking for where to expand, and looks for areas that have at least 25 homes per one-mile stretch while meeting other criteria, says company spokeswoman Terri Weldon. “We are in business to make a profit,” she says.

Today’s WhatIs.com Word of the Day is white space device.

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Nov 12 2008   1:19PM GMT

Overheard: How will power-line broadband work?



Posted by: Margaret Rouse
modems, Technology, power-line broadband, broadband Internet
rural.jpg International Business Machines Corp. said it has been hired to work with rural electricity cooperatives to provide high-speed Internet service over power lines. The project is a sign that using the electricity grid for communication — a technology utilities have long been interested in — has finally matured.

William M. Bulkeley, IBM Hired to Develop Power-Line Broadband

The system works by using standard power lines to carry a radio-frequency signal in the magnetic field that surrounds the wires. The signal is continuously amplified by low-priced repeater boxes clamped to the lines. When an electricity customer signs up for broadband services, the supplier mails out a special modem that is plugged into the wall outlet where the computer is plugged in.

UPDATE 8-03-09: IBM IBM and an ISP called International Broadband Electric Communications announced they have begun to establish broadband over power line (BPL) networks for nearly 200,000 rural customers served by 7 electrical cooperatives in Alabama, Indiana, Michigan and Virginia.

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