SDG&E to offer Broadband

San Diego Gas and Electric is venturing into a new version of horizontal integration of California's utilities:

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. said Tuesday that it would launch a pilot program offering some customers broadband Internet access over power lines, making it the first electric utility in the state to test the latest high-speed technology.

But the broadband connection would be a byproduct of what the utility really wants: a way for customers and the company to better manage electric service.

...Lorenz said SDG&E wanted to make sure that broadband over power lines, or BPL, could provide customers such services as minute-by-minute prices to help them manage their use of electricity. The network also would have to provide the utility with some operational benefits, such as precise data on any problems with the lines, he said.

With the possibility of offering VOIP, could a Sempra Phone Services be next?