NEW YORK — IBM is throwing its weight behind an idea that seemed to have faded: broadband Internet access delivered over power lines. With a dose of low-interest federal loans, Big Blue is teaming with small newcomer International Broadband Electric Communications to try to make the idea work in rural communities.
The strategy is to sign up electric cooperatives in sparsely populated areas across the eastern United States. IBM could juice a technology that has failed to make much of an imprint. Other companies touting broadband access over power lines and through wall outlets have come and gone, dogged by technical hurdles and opposition from amateur radio operators who said the technology interfered with their signals. The Associated Press; AP file photo
