As the war between cable and phone companies over who’s going to control communications escalates, a new player is quietly picking up steam.

Power companies are now beginning to offer broadband internet access to their customers through their already existing power lines. Broadband over power line (BPL) technology is already being used in Europe. A little closer to home, Cinergy is offering broadband access to commercial customers in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Recently, IBM has partnered with Centerpoint Energy Houston Electric to launch a residential pilot program in Houston. Residents will simply have to plug a special BPL modem into any ordinary electrical outlet in their home. Once they connect their computer to this modem, they’ll have instant broadband internet access.

What does this mean to you? Over half of Americans already have broadband access at home. That percentage is only going to increase if getting broadband is as easy as plugging an inexpensive adaptor into any powerline. This means more people will soon be searching for you on the internet.