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Byline: Martha McKay
Apr. 23--Imagine downloading your e-mail from the electrical plug that runs your toaster.
Along with electricity, the web of power lines that blanket the nation can be tweaked to carry high-speed Internet service.
Broadband over power lines (BPL) -- sometimes called power line communications -- isn't a new idea, but recent technical developments and lower costs for components have pushed it much closer to reality.
"We believe the technology has tremendous potential," said Irwin Gerszberg, director of local access technology at AT&T Labs in Florham Park. "It's amazing not many people even know about this stuff." AT&T recently demonstrated BPL technology for Wall Street analysts and hopes to break into the nascent market.