• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published its first set of standards Tuesday for test procedures to be used by utility companies when upgrading smart meter technology from a remote location.
• PDF copies of the published draft of "Advanced Metering Infrastructure Smart Meter Upgradeability Test Framework" can be downloaded from csrc.nist.gov.
• NIST will be taking comments on the draft through Aug. 9, and a final version of the recommendations is expected by April 2013.

From the article:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued draft guidelines to help utilities test procedures for upgrading smart meters securely from a remote location.

The draft publication offers a generic set of testing criteria to help utilities determine whether a method for upgrading meters conforms with the security and functionality requirements in the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Standard for Smart Grid Upgradeability. ...