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The Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition (DRSG), the trade association for companies that provide products and services in the areas of demand response and smart grid technologies, respectfully submits its comments to the Department of Energy’s Request for Information “Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Empowering Consumers and the Smart Grid: Data Access, Third Party Use, and Privacy.”

Comments of Silver Spring Networks on Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Studying the Communications Requirements of Electric Utilities to Inform Federal Smart Grid Policy

Florida Power & Light Company comments on DOE Request for Information—Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Empowering Customers and the Smart Grid: Data Access, Third Party Use, and Privacy

Southern Company Services, Inc. (“Southern Company”), on behalf of itself and its operating affiliates, hereby submits its response to the Department of Energy’s (“DOE’s”) Request for Information (“RFI”), released May 5, 2010, about current and projected communications requirements of electric utilities in “sustaining and modernizing the [electric] grid, as well as the types of networks and communications services that may be used.” Southern Company was an active participant in proceedings before the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) leading to the FCC’s release of the National Broadband Plan (“NBP”) and appreciates the opportunity to provide DOE with information responsive to the specific questions raised in the RFI.

Comments of Tacoma Public on Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Studying the Communications Requirements of Electric Utilities to Inform Federal Smart Grid Policy

DTE Energy Company appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Request for Information on the subject of Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Studying the Communications Requirements of Electric Utilities to Inform Federal Smart Grid Policy, which was published at 75 Federal Register 26206 on May 11, 2010.

Idaho Power Company (“Idaho Power”) hereby submits the following comments in response to the Department of Energy’s (“DOE” or “Department”) request for information from interested parties on state efforts to enact Smart Grid privacy and data collection policies; individual utility practices regarding data access and collection; third party access to detailed information; the role of the consumer in balancing the benefits of access and privacy; and what policies and practices should guide policymakers in determining access to consumers’ energy information and under what conditions.

The Real Estate Roundtable is pleased to provide these comments in response to the Request for Information issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”), published at 75 Fed. Reg. 26,203 (May 11, 2010) entitled, “Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Empowering Consumers and the Smart Grid: Data Access, Third Party Use, and Privacy.” The Real Estate Roundtable brings together leaders of the nation’s top publicly-held and privately-owned real estate ownership, development, lending and management firms with the leaders of major national real estate trade associations to jointly address key national policy issues relating to real estate and the overall economy. Collectively, Roundtable members’ portfolios contain over 5 billion square feet of office, retail and industrial properties valued at more than $1 trillion; over 1.5 million apartment units; and in excess of 1.3 million hotel rooms. Participating trade associations represent more than 1.5 million people involved in virtually every aspect of the real estate business. By identifying, analyzing and coordinating policy positions, The Roundtable’s business and trade association leaders seek to ensure that a cohesive industry voice is heard by government officials and the public about real estate and its important role in the national and global economies.

On-Ramp Wireless, Inc. (“On-Ramp”) hereby submits comments in response to the Department of Energy’s (“DOE”) May 11, 2010 Request for Information as to the communications needs of electric utilities to inform federal Smart Grid policy. In these comments, On-Ramp addresses two vital aspects of the need for wireless communications in connection with Smart Grid—more specifically, for customer smart meters and devices and for certain types of distribution grid system monitoring. First, On-Ramp discusses the need to reliably link millions of customer meters and home area networks with each other and with utility access points. Second, On-Ramp discusses the importance of efficiently addressing the foregoing wireless communications needs, from equipment, economic and spectral efficiency perspectives. Simply stated, efficiency is vital because it drives down the cost to utility customers of implementing Smart Grid.

The Utilities Telecom Council hereby comments in response to the Department of Energy (DOE) request for information on data access, third party use, and privacy. In summary, UTC submits that the innovative deployment by energy utilities of smart meters and smart control systems will create a smart energy grid that will unlock the value of what has been called the Energy Information Economy2. Smart energy grids will create an environment in which consumers will have greater abilities to manage their own energy usage and utilities will have new tools to affect grid-wide energy efficiencies never before possible. The key to all this is data. How to provide secure access to it for customers and their agents is the crux of this RFI’s questions and the focus of our responses. The Energy Information Economy will bring with it an inevitable and exponential increase in data as well as new costs. The challenge for utilities, regulators, consumers, service providers, technology manufacturers, and others is to provide the right balance between enabling this new era of energy management with both the net value of the applications and the privacy rights of consumers. UTC believes that depending upon the particular utility and applications chosen, the smart grid can provide huge net benefits for consumers, but as is the fundamental principle for both regulated and unregulated utilities, the value of applications has to be measured against the costs which will ultimately be borne by consumers. Similarly, the development and distribution of consumer consumption data must be carefully weighed against the privacy rights of consumers, as already implemented by utilities and state regulatory authorities. Policies on data access must be driven by the need to provide benefits for consumers, not the financial gains of third party participants.