This 90-minute audio conference continues the theme of BPL Today's last event giving utilities and their partners planning to start BPL deployments -- or those just kicking the tires -- insight into how to create a BPL project, how to sell the idea internally plus pitfalls and unforeseen benefits not to miss out on.

As new headlines herald major headway for the BPL industry each week, a slew of US utility companies are renewing their interest in broadband over power lines (BPL):

• CenterPoint Energy in Houston, Consumers Energy in Michigan, Duquesne Light in Pittsburgh, San Diego Gas & Electric and the Los Angeles Dept of Water & Power all announced plans or started deployments this year.
  
  
• Those firms joined early BPL adopters including Cinergy, Duke Power, Pennsylvania Power & Light, JEA in Jacksonville, Manassas in Virginia and others.
  
  
• Add to that list 20 co-ops that reportedly lined up at a rural BPL firm to get access to the Agriculture Dept's low-cost RUS loans after that firm was the first in the US to get such loans for BPL.

On Nov 7, 2005 BPL Today assembled an experienced panel of BPL veterans to help guide utilities and their partners through the sometimes complex process of building a BPL business model that works.  

Each speaker (listed below) presented his analysis for eight minutes and then attendees asked tough questions during the live Q&A.  Purchase the 90-minute audio conference to learn how to build a BPL business model that works.  

Richard Coyle joined IdaComm in June as executive vice president of business development and regulatory affairs with a primary focus on utility sales pipeline development.  IdaComm -- a subsidiary of Idaho utility IdaCorp -- got lots of early experience with BPL in Idaho and is taking that knowledge and expertise to other utilities as a leading BPL integrator.

The firm managed the design and implementation of CenterPoint Energy's BPL pilot and BPL demonstration center in Houston, Texas.  The firm has teamed with IBM, Telkonet, Broadband Energy Networks, Cannon Technologies and others.

Prior to joining IdaComm, Coyle served as vice president of finance and chief risk officer for Sierra Pacific, leading its business development efforts for both regulated and unregulated business affairs including the creation of strategic business plans, associated funding, regulatory support and testimony efforts.  

Larry Silverman, CEO & founder of Broadband Energy Networks, will provide decades of experience in remote automation to the world of energy management via BPL -- and has taken utility and government applications into the 21st Century with IBM, IdaComm and CenterPoint Energy at the latter's BPL demonstration lab and deployment in Houston.

He speaks as an authority on utility applications plus a growing variety of sensors, monitors controls and inventions expected to drive the BPL business model for governments, building owners and industries.

But more than that -- Silverman has groundbreaking ideas about how to use BPL to deliver broadband as the entitlement or "new utility" it's become (President Bush said as much when he called for universal access by 2007).

Silverman sees how BPL not only fits with the power utility mission but could be priced very low, bundled with other services and thus win 80% of customers on a transformer for big profits -- changing the BPL business model forever.

James Valle is founder and CEO of Fiber Bridge -- BPL integrator and consultant for large scale BPL projects including deployments in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.  

Fiber Bridge started out delivering undersea fiber deployments and Valle believes a carrier's carrier model works best for BPL -- selling bandwidth to the highest bidder and thus protecting grid owners from risks in the broadband business.