UTC Asks FERC to Work With FCC on Communications Needs of Electric Utilities

The Utilities Technology Council said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should contact the FCC and hold formal meetings on energy and telecom industry convergence. UTC filed the request in FERC docket AD18-7, looking at how to build a more resilient electrical grid. A UTC official said this is the first time the group formally made that request at FERC. “Jurisdictional overlaps speak to the growing interdependencies between the telecommunications and energy sectors,” UTC said. “Not only is spectrum needed for day-to-day reliability on the Bulk Power System, but it is essential for ‘smart grid’ and utility of the future applications. As the use of these resources grows, electric utilities will need more spectrum to continue the reliable operation of their systems. If the transition to a more consumer-centric, distributed utility industry is going to be realized, a clear recognition of these cross-sector interdependencies must be understood and collaboration across government must occur.” UTC said most utilities use communications networks for real-time monitoring of medium- and high-voltage networks, protective relays, energy, outage and distribution management, smart metering and substation automation.