"Today is a banner day, and I think years from now we will look back and see it as an historical day for us,'' said Michael K. Powell, the F.C.C. chairman. "This is groundbreaking stuff.''
Broadband over power lines, or B.P.L., uses a special modem that plugs into electrical outlets. It will be offered at speeds of 1 to 3 megabits a second, which is comparable to broadband service over cable modems or conventional phone lines, but not as fast as the 5 megabits a second achievable through the residential fiber optic lines.
Maybe not, power lines can also be viewed as long antennas. The energy running through them transmits signals out around the lines. In cases where the signals interfere with other services that rely on the same frequencies there can be what the FCC terms harmful interference.
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