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Space Data is the leader in high altitude balloon borne communications platforms where between 65-100,000 feet we have flown over 20,000 commercial SkySite® flights totaling over 250,000 flight hours as well as supply the military with our StarFighter® platform which extends 2 way radio communications from under 10 miles to over 400 miles. We were founded in 1999 and to develop our technology we decided that the ReFlex paging protocol was appropriate and that FCC licensed spectrum was available. Hence we participated in FCC Auctions 40, 41 and 50 and through secondary market transactions accumulated almost 2 of the 3 MHz allocated to Narrowband PCS (NPCS) in the 901/930/940 MHz bands.

The Edison Electric Institute ("EEI"), on behalf of its member companies, hereby submits the following comments in response to the Request for Information ("RFI") by the Department of Energy ("Department" or "DOE") regarding the current and future communications requirements of utilities, including, but not limited to, the requirements of the Smart Grid in an effort to implement certain recommendations of the National Broadband Plan. EEI is the association of the United States investor-owned electric utilities and industry associates worldwide. Its U.S. members serve almost 95 percent of all customers served by the shareholder—owned segment of the U.S. industry, about 70 percent of all electricity customers, and generate about 70 percent of the electricity delivered in the United States. EEI frequently represents its U.S. members before Federal agencies, courts, and Congress in matters of common concern.

The following is DTE Energy’s response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Request for Information on the subject of Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Empowering Consumers and the Smart Grid: Data Access, Third Party Use, and Privacy, published in the Federal Register on 11 May 2010.

Because of the lack of ubiquitous coverage by major carriers or operating telephone companies, East Central Energy has contracted with our G&T, Great River Energy for private wireless services to our substations. No single vendor or combination of several vendors could provide an integrated solution Great River Energy has deployed a fully integrated IP network to 36 of ECE’s remote sites of our electric system. The IP network transports data information for SCADA and AMR; metering information. We also use this network to perform maintenance on substation control equipment. The rural environment and substation in particular present challenges. Carriers and telephone companies build to mass markets. Substations are hazardous electrical environments and thus require expensive and complex protection systems for wire line communications. This has lead many utilities, East Central Energy included, to rely heavily on wireless systems. Wireless covers large areas of geography and is not susceptible to the hazardous voltages. The spectrum used today will not be enough in the future. As we continue to add Smart Grid distribution system applications to the wireless segment of the network the amount of data will grow. It is projected by the industry that utilities will go from moving and managing 7 terabytes of data to 800 terabytes.

Comments of the Lower Colorado River Authority on Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Studying the Communications Requirements of Electric Utilities to Inform Federal Smart Grid Policy

Comments of Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC on Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Studying the Communications Requirements of Electric Utilities to Inform Federal Smart Grid Policy

Xcel Energy, a combination electricity and natural gas utility operating in eight Midwestern states, submits these Comments in response to the Department of Energy’s May 11, 2010 Request for Information: "Implementing the National Broadband Plan by Empowering Consumers and the Smart Grid: Data Access, Third Party Use, and Privacy."

The Media and Technology Institute and the Climate Change Initiative at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (“Joint Center”)1 respectfully submit these comments in response to the United States Department of Energy’s (“DoE”) Request for Information regarding its implementation of the Smart Grid provisions of Federal Communications Commission’s (“FCC”) National Broadband Plan.

DEA has deployed a fully integrated IP network to 26 substation sites. An IP based network transports data information for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Load Management systems. A private Wide Area Network (WAN) was implemented by DEA in 2001 due to lack of comprehensive coverage by major carriers. In addition to the WAN, DEA relies on commercial services to communicate with load management receivers via paging technology and smart meters via phone lines. The rural environment, which covers a significant portion of our service area, and substations in particular present challenges. Carriers and telephone companies build to mass markets not the more rural area Even in mass market areas, no carrier provides 100% coverage. Substations are hazardous electrical environments and thus require expensive and complex protection systems for wire line communications. This has lead DEA to rely heavily on wireless systems. Public carrier systems and sharing of spectrum on public frequencies with others has proved unreliable in the past. Public wireless network performance degrades over time as public adoption increases. Public wireless networks are also susceptible to failure

Exelon Corporation (Exelon) hereby submits the following comments in response to the Request for Information ("RFI")1 by the Department of Energy ("Department" or "DOE") regarding the current and future communications requirements of utilities, including, but not limited to, the requirements of the Smart Grid in an effort to implement certain recommendations of the National Broadband Plan. Exelon Corporation is a holding company, located at 10 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois. Exelon Corporation owns Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) and PECO Energy Company (PECO). Together ComEd and PECO own transmission and distribution systems and serve over five million retail electric customers in northern Illinois and the Philadelphia area. Exelon Corporation also owns Exelon Generation, LLC (ExGen), which owns or controls approximately 33,000 MW of generating facilities.