Projects that UTC’s Smart Networks Council will undertake in the year ahead will include:
UTC’s Smart Networks Council is an independent operating unit of the Utilities Telecom Council. Founded in 1948, UTC is an international non-profit trade association representing energy and water utilities, their industry trade associations, and their technology partners. Today over 500 utilities and technology companies belong to UTC as direct members in addition to more than a dozen of the industry’s largest energy, water and other critical infrastructure trade associations.
All UTC members are eligible to appoint representatives to participate in UTC’s Smart Networks Council at no additional charge.
UTC’s Smart Networks Council is a special resource for all UTC members – led by utility representatives and including technology partners, law firms, consulting companies – working together to drive the development, advancement and application of advanced metering and distribution automation applications. UTC’s Smart Networks Council is a way for employees of UTC member companies working on the application side of the business to tap into UTC’s array of resources:
Public Policy – Advocacy & Representation: No membership service that UTC offers is valued more than that offered by UTC’s in house legal staff, working with volunteers, to represent our membership on key public policy issues before federal and state governments. Our mission has always to ensure that lawmakers and regulators understand and address the unique needs of our members. Ensuring a vibrant environment for the advanced metering and distribution automation has been a high priority for UTC for over 30 years. In addition to working with volunteers from member companies, UTC created the Critical Infrastructure Communications Coalition [1] through which UTC involves all the major energy and water trade associations with full-time Washington lobbying staffs. Directly, and working through industry coalitions such as the GridWise Alliance, UTC’s Smart Networks Council has a well-known and well-respected voice in Washington. In the year ahead, UTC will be expanding that voice to include key state legislatures and public utility commissions.
Research & Information – Insights & Understanding: UTC offers a wide variety of research and information products to ensure all members have the insights and understanding necessary to successfully address the new issues surrounding AMI and DR applications. In addition to a quarter magazine, the UTC Journal, and several electronic newsletters, UTC’s in-house research staff creates several major research reports annually. Examples of a few of interest to the smarts utility networks community include:
UTC’s Smart Networks Council will work closely with UTC Research to help define future studies that will accelerate understanding of AMI / distribution automation best practices and the best ways move these needed applications forward.
Membership – Networking & Community: Every telecom and IT professional that participates in UTC enjoys a great sense of community and the great benefits that come from networking with industry peers. UTC’s Smart Networks Council will be no different with member-driven opportunities to meet peers and participate in peer-to-peer networking. To ensure a strong start to the process, UTC’s Smart Networks Council will be creating several working Committees on the key issues of state regulatory issues, technical standards, educational programming, and research. There is no community of utilities focused on advance metering and demand response initiatives than UTC – anywhere! UTC’s Smart Networks Council will tap into that strength for your organization’s benefit.
Smart Networks Events – Learning & Sharing: No utility can create AMI/DR applications alone. All need to share in the knowledge and experience of as many other utilities as possible. In addition, utilities need the expertise offered by key technology partners. UTC has been offering utility education and training on information communications technologies for its entire 60 years of existence. The technology partners that belong to UTC are the best and most dedicated utilities can find anywhere in the world. For several years, UTC has been holding a Smart Metering / Smart Grids Symposium as a part of its Annual Convention, attended by over 1,200 registrants and 120 exhibiting companies. UTC’s Smart Networks Council will assume a leadership role in the education programming for this Symposium and will be able to use it as its forum going forward. Additionally, we will look to UTC’s Smart Networks Council to help expand AMI and distribution automation education and training at regional meetings held annually by UTC’s ten Regions. Other events, webinars, and audio conferences may be created as needed by UTC’s Smart Networks Council.
Additional Services – Engineering & Licensing: UTC was created in 1948 to help utilities access licensed spectrum; and, while UTC’s mission has expanded greatly, providing frequency coordination and spectrum engineering services remains a core service for our members. No other organization understands the intricate maze of regulatory and technological requirements of spectrum usage by utilities, whether licensed or unlicensed, like UTC. As UTC’s Smart Networks Council begins addressing the evolving technology and interoperability issues for AMI and DR applications, UTC’s in-house spectrum and engineering experts will become an invaluable resource.
Links:
[1] http://www.utc.org/public-policy/critical-infrastructure-communications-coalition