Surname 2
within their households, plug in their computers to a wall outlet and get access to high speed
internet data (Michelson, par. 2).
The primary advantage of BPL is that it will employ the use the power grid and the data
transmission capability of electric wires which have over the years remained dormant. This will
reduce the cost of setting up a network for computer data transmission. Access BPL i.e. BPL
over the power grid will also allow power companies to monitor their power systems and
respond to any interferences.
Additionally, since the power grid is extensive and far-reaching, it can be used to transmit
computer network data to rural communities that do not have access to DSL or cable modem
network data. As such, such communities will have access to high speed internet data and enjoy
communication privileges that were a preserve for their urban counterparts.
While BPL offers an inexpensive alternative to the transmission of internet data, not
many are hopeful of the success of Access BPL. Power lines were not designed to transmit
internet data. Tests on the feasibility of Access BPL have shown problems related to attenuation
i.e. the significant loss in signal especially at high frequencies. Power lines do not have noise-
cancelling properties (Michelson, par. 2). Every time an electric device along the power line is
shut on or off, it introduces a noise into the line. Such noises have lead to errors in the
transmission of data. Power lines are also not insulated and as such, they can introduce data
signals from radio stations and intercom systems and transmit it along the line. A study conduct
by the NATO Research and Technology Organization came to the conclusion that a widespread
network of BPL could have catastrophic effects on the military’s high frequency radio
communication systems.
