Cinergy is denying its planned launch next week of high-speed Internet service delivered over power lines could cause ham radio interference.
The utility, which is launching the service in Cincinnati with Maryland's Current Communications Group, says amateur radio operators' concerns are unfounded, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Friday.
"There's a lot of misinformation out there," said Alex Pardo of Cinergy.
The technology allows subscribers to plug a special computer modem into any electrical outlet and receive data and voice services at speeds equal to or better than competing broadband services.
Michael Powell, Federal Communications Commission chairman, is pushing the technology, saying it could increase availability and lower the cost of broadband.
Last July, Connecticut's American Radio Relay League, a national asSociation of ham radio operators, told the FCC the technology "is a Pandora's box of unprecedented proportions" citing what it called "severe interference potential from BPL (broadband over power lines)."
