Ecommerce Times reports that Google is investing in a broadband over power line company that is already experimenting with providing services in Cincinnati.  BPL is being explored around the world (and particularly in parts of Europe where transformer density is high), and it's exciting to think that there might be a real alternative someday to DSL and cable.

The power line company, Current Communications, is run by William Berkman (whose family has made some other good investments), and Goldman Sachs and The Hearst Corp. are also backing the project. With wireless hops from utility poles to homes, and with some assurances about security, this could just work.

Why does this matter?  Well, maybe there's something magical about the number three.  Having only two ways to buy fast internet access doesn't provide much choice and gives the cable and DSL guys enormous power (to, for example, (a)  forbid their subscribers from hosting web servers or (b) filter out VoIP services they don't like) without much risk that they'll lose out in the marketplace.  Three providers, and one an upstart with Google behind it doing-no-evilling, may loosen things up.

Granted, getting to three will take an enomous, audacious buildout.  But maybe that's what Google's there for.

I'm personally a little nervous about BPL because my formidable grandmother, Beatrice Lamb, had those initials -- and no one who met her ever forgot the experience.  I won't go so far as to say she was shocking.  That would be too easy.

What are Yahoo! and AOL going to do?