Dive Summary:
- The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has budgeted $4.5 billion for its big broadband push. At the same time, the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) says utilities can spend a good portion of that money to "add smart grid connectivity and services to their distant power lines and end-users, which can save energy and reduce member costs on top of giving everyone instant internet access," Greentech Media reports.
- But this round of FCC funding does not include utilities. As a result, the UTC trade group has launched the the Rural Broadband Council (RBC), to lobby for a change in funding rules.
- This month, the FCC announced its release of $485 million to expand broadband in rural America.
From the article:
"As for what utilities could do with their own broadband network, we’ve got several examples of how municipal utilities like Chattanooga EPB, Tacoma PUD and Habersham EMC are using fiber networks to connect utilities to their customers, support distribution grid sensors and controls, and enable fast-acting balancing of grid-side and demand-side resources, to name a few examples. But we’ve also seen examples of ill-conceived utility broadband projects faltering due to the high costs involved, as happened to Xcel Energy’s SmartGridCity project in Boulder, Colo."
