DIRECTV to offer BPL?

DIRECTV and Current Group recently announced that the satellite TV company’s customers will be able to get broadband over power line (BPL) Internet and VoIP service bundled with their TV packages. Since one of the biggest selling advantages of cable service is the ability to bundle with cable internet and VoIP phone service, I’m thinking that this new partnership may up the competition between the two.

I’ve noticed that BPL has really become the hot topic in broadband development. There are so many rural areas without high-speed internet out there, I would know since I’ve lived in them for the longest time. I really think BPL had a lot of potential to being the 3rd major player in consumer level high-speed internet. Current Group is actually arguably the most influential BPL provider with funding from Google and Goldman Sachs. Current Group’s subsidiary Current Communications offers BPL service in the Cincinnati area, with plans to expand to the Dallas-Fort Worth area soon.

I’m very interested to see if the partnership with DIRECTV will push BPL developments into a more rapid expansion. There are plenty of BPL deployments but it still seems like more of an idea then a real alternate means or option of getting on the internet. Check out the Current Group website for more information on the technology behind BPL, it’s pretty cool.