[Vivtek]

Would that work? It's still copper... If by "high tension" you mean normal pole voltage, then yes, each house has its own transformer. At the road. Which itself is a non-trivial distance from my dad's house.

I've never heard of broadband over powerline. I'll bet there'd be some interest.

[derleth]

Broadband over powerline is like cold fusion, except without the exciting real-world prospects for success. It has been bandied about for decades now, tried on small scales a few times, and is always a few decades away from real use unless it is finally dead at this point.