April 20^th, 2003 (12:00am) - 100 Hyde Park residents in Cincinnati have began testing broadband Internet access via power lines. The technology allows secure data transfers over power lines.

Alex Pardo, a spokesman for Cinergy, explained that getting connected is a simple process. "The modem plugs into the wall, and you plug a cord into the USB port, and you’re connected," Pardo said. "Ultimately, it turns every electric outlet into a broadband Internet connection."

Broadband for Everyone

The technology uses a fiber-optic line to inject an Internet signal into a power line after it has left a power station. The signal then moves to neighborhoods, using equipment on power poles to leapfrog transformers and flow into homes. Then every outlet in the house becomes a broadband outlet. Broadband over power lines is almost a reality in North America.