The UTC has released a white paper on the potential impacts of 5G wireless service on electric utilities. This white paper is intended to frame the issue rather than provide a comprehensive plan or policy approach. Among other things, it concludes that “the big issues for utilities are cost, reliability and confidence in the supply chain. It is important to note that the availability and resilience of a communications system is more a feature of network design, operation and maintenance than it is of the technology employed. There is nothing inherent in 5G to make it more reliable and resilient than previous generations of technology; on the contrary, there is the potential that the extra infrastructure – located closer to the end service points - needed to provide 5G promises will increase the cost of enhancing reliability. Since all modern communications networks are software controlled, this must also be recognized as a common-mode failure point, especially with the increasing complexity of modern software systems.”
Another major issue identified in the paper is security. The paper notes that “[a]ny wireless network is open to monitoring over the air, interception and/or tampering. However, provided the security system is designed with this vulnerability in mind, the network could potentially be better secured than legacy systems. The report also looks at 5G applications and markets, suggesting where utilities might fit into these ecosystems.
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The Regulatory Mix Today: Utilities Technology Council White Paper on 5G, US Senate Net Neutrality Working Group
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) announced the formation of a bipartisan working group focused on crafting a net neutrality proposal to encourage innovation, boost investment, and close the digital divide.
“The mission of this working group will be to put partisan politics aside in order to provide permanent internet protections,” said Wicker. “We need clear rules of the road that prohibit providers from blocking or throttling access to lawful content and provide transparency and consumer choice. We invite our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in this effort.”
“Net neutrality is critical to maintaining a vibrant internet. We need a modern, internet-specific framework that encourages the freedom and innovation that make the internet the vital tool it is today—and consumers and providers need stability. We will only achieve those goals by working across party lines to find a bipartisan solution,” said Sinema.
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The Regulatory Mix, Inteserra’s blog of telecom related regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of an Inteserra Briefing.