31 MAR, 2004 - 1100 CST

I've know about the extremely large quantity of "dark" fiber optic
cable for years.  I guess I'm one of the insiders mentioned in the
book below as I sold my small stock holding before the bubble burst.

Anyhow, for those of you who want to learn more, here is a copy of
the email I received earlier today.  Please keep in mind this story
is primarily about trunk fiber optic cable as opposed to fiber optic
cable to each home and business.  But it's a start for an alternative
to BPL.

73 - Dick, W9GIG

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From: w9yz@webtv.net (Ron & Milly Williams)
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 10:36:29 -0500 (EST)
To: W9GIG@arrl.org
Subject: BPL
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Dear Mr. Isely, 

I believe fiber optics is the place for transmission of data rather than powerlines.  A recent book indicates there are vast amounts of unused
fiber in existence.    Short quotes: "...the world is crisscrossed with
fiber that is unlikely to be used for decades... ...cables as thick as a
full grown Python lie dormant across the oceans... ...about 80 million
miles of optical fiber was installed in the USA in the six years between
1996 and 2001." 

Much of this was done by companies which by using publicity and tricky accounting sucked millions of investors into buying stock pressing the
prices up. Then the insiders dumped their stock, making big profits, and
let it die.       

The name of the book is BROADBANDITS by Om Malik
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc of Hoboken, NJ.   
ISBN 0-471-43405-1

Mr. Malik goes into detail on the history of this subject.  Cable TV in
the Indianapolis area has messed up some of our ham repeaters at times
due to faulty amplifiers and leaky connectors.   The thought of BPL in
all neighborhoods suggests the end of ham radio, both from BPL signals
raising the noise levels and BPL users receiving unwanted RF from hams
and demanding that we be kicked off the air.    Please forgive me if
everyone already knows the above.  If not possibly the book would
provide useful information to you and others at ARRL in the efforts to
prevent our power lines being used as antennas.  

73, Ronald C. Williams, W9YZ
Life Member ARRL.

Licensed 54 years. Retired owner of Avatar Magnetics.
Some of my transformer designs were carried in the parts lists of the
power supply chapters of the ARRL handbooks 1984-2000.