Letter to Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

Letter

Today, Congresswomen Doris Matsui (CA-05) and Anna Eshoo (CA-14), sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski asking that the FCC consider allowing smart grid applications to utilize TV white spaces. The FCC has authority to put unused wireless spectrum that sits between TV channels to use by reallocating the spectrum to other technologies. For example, in November 2008, the FCC voted to allow the use of white spaces for broadband. The FCC is scheduled to meet on Thursday to decide the future of the use of the additional spectrum.

"Unused white spaces provides a tremendous potential economic benefit for advancing technologies, including clean energy and smart grid technologies," stated Congresswoman Matsui. "I am hopeful that the FCC will allow smart grid technologies to utilize white spaces. Advances in smart grid technology offer consumers the ability to monitor their energy usage and will allow electric utilities greater capability to better manage outages, reduce peak demand, and gain more control over the decisions concerning resources. If the FCC decides to allow smart grid technologies to utilize white spaces, I am certain that we will see innovative applications that will further move our country towards a clean energy future."

In their letter, Congresswomen Matsui and Eshoo touted the benefits of allowing smart grid technology to access the white spaces, such as allowing consumers to track their energy usage in "real-time." The Congresswomen wrote, "There could also be substantial benefits for utility applications from the use of white spaces for smart grid technologies. Utilities will be able to better manage outages, reduce peak demand, and gain more control over the decisions concerning resources."

Dear Chairman Genachowski:

As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prepares to adopt rules concerning unused spectrum, or TV white spaces, we argue the Commission to ensure that a variety of technologies including smart grid applications, are able to utilize this spectrum to advance our nation's clean energy needs.

In November 2008, the FCC unanimously voted to allow the use of the TV white spaces for broadband. By addressing these pending petitions for reconsideration of the Commission's decision, we hope that the goal of providing access for unlicensed broadband wireless devices will be realized. In today's economy, broadband services are vital for consumers, and it is critical that we expand access to more 'unserved' and 'underserved' areas nationwide.

As we continue to promote policies to expand broadband services, more and more consumers will expect to use their computer and wireless devices to monitor their energy usage in "real-time" whether they are at home, at work, or on vacation. Advances in smart grid technology offer consumers the ability to monitor their energy usage to ensure energy savings on their monthly utility bills. In fact, some estimates indicate that consumers who track their energy use in real time and make simple behavioral changes accordingly could save up to 15 percent or $180 per year on their utility bills.

Electric utilities could also substantially benefit from the use of white spaces for smart grid technologies. Utilities will be able to better manage outages, reduce peak demand, and gain more control over the decisions concerning resources. It will also give utilities new capabilities, such as automated meter reading, voltage monitoring, and notification of outages to prove customers with timely notifications about power outages and service-restoration estimates, all while making electricity grid more efficient.

In its National Broadband Plan, the FCC recognized the importance of allowing TV white spaces to be used to deliver cost-effective broadband connectivity for a wide variety of consumer, business, and government applications. The National Broadband Plan also acknowledged the critical role that broadband plays in advancing a more sustainable path of greater energy independence and efficiency by including a series of recommendations to modernize smart grid technologies. The plan stated that "consumers and businesses will need easy access to information about the type, amount and price of energy to make informed decisions about their consumption." In fact, the Plan also cited a recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) report that stated evolving smart grid technologies result in "dynamic pricing and better demand-side engagement can reduce peak demand by as much as 20 percent by 2019."

We should be promoting policies to reach energy efficiency goals, and unused TV white spaces that will enable further development of smart grid technologies. Again, we urge the Commission to promote a variety of technologies, including smart grid technologies, through its decision in the upcoming proceeding on white space and support the efforts the FCC is making to finalize policies that will allow devices and technologies to fully leverage the white space spectrum to move our nation towards a more sustainable energy path.

Sincerely,

Doris O. Matsui
Anna G. Eshoo

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