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REMINDER! Draft Policy Resolutions for June T&T Meeting Due Jan. 31

Core utility UTC members have until Jan. 31, 2019, to submit ideas or concepts for potential policy resolutions to be adopted at the association’s annual Telecom & Technology conference in June.

This marks the second time UTC pursues policy positions through the resolution process as approved by the UTC Board in its December 2017 meeting.

As was the case in 2018, any UTC core utility member can submit a proposed resolution or ideas for a resolution by Jan. 31. Only UTC core utility members can submit a resolution; if a vendor member has an idea, it must be sponsored and submitted by a core utility member.

Once all the proposed resolutions are collected by UTC staff, the Public Policy Division (PPD) will formally accept and discuss the proposals during its regularly scheduled February meeting. PPD members will have the opportunity to edit and debate the proposed resolutions prior to its March call, at which point the division will vote on the resolutions. This call will be open to all UTC core utility members.

Any resolutions cleared by the PPD will be submitted for review and consideration by the entire UTC membership at the annual Telecom and Technology meeting in June 2019, being held in Ft. Worth, TX. Resolutions for consideration at the annual meeting must be distributed to the entire association membership no later than two weeks prior to the event. Additionally, the proposed resolutions will also be posted on the UTC Website.

UTC’s core utility members will vote on the proposed resolutions during the association’s business meeting at the annual conference. Each UTC core utility member company will have one vote during the meeting, meaning that core members must designate one person to cast the company’s vote.

Any resolutions approved at the annual Telecom and Technology meeting will be considered official UTC policy and will inform the association as it advocates for its members in Washington and elsewhere.

For more information, please contact UTC’s Public Policy Team. An FAQ about the resolutions process is available here.

Resolutions approved at the 2018 annual meeting are available here.

DHS Unveils New Cybersecurity Agency After Trump Signs Bill Into Law

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last month unveiled its new cyber and infrastructure security agency after President Trump signed legislation formally establishing the new entity.

The new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) replaces DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) and elevates its mission to a national priority within both DHS and the government as a whole, DHS officials said.

President Trump signed legislation directing the change after Congress passed the CISA Act in mid-November.

“The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving, and we need to ensure we’re properly positioned to defend America’s infrastructure from threats digital and physical,” DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielson said in a blog post. “It was time to reorganize and operationalize NPPD into the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.”

According to DHS, the new agency has three main priorities:

• Establishing comprehensive cybersecurity protection through monitoring and sharing tools and incident response plans with federal, state, and local governments, industry, and international governments;
• Promoting infrastructure resilience by coordinating with trusted partnerships across the private and public sectors through the National Risk Management Center; and,
• Enhancing emergency communications

Christopher C. Krebs serves as CISA director; he was originally sworn in as the Under Secretary of CISA’s predecessor, the National Protection and Programs Directorate.

Please contact the UTC Public Policy Team with any questions.

NTIA Seeks Preliminary Federal Spectrum Assessments by Feb. 21

Federal agencies have until next February to preliminarily report on their future spectrum needs over the next 15 years.

The National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) asked all federal agencies to submit their initial spectrum needs by Feb. 21 as part of President Trump’s National Spectrum Strategy.

According to NTIA, the reports will help ensure the federal government is optimizing utilization of the nation’s spectrum resources and meeting the needs of spectrum users, including critical federal missions that serve the American public. Final reports are due by April 23, 2019.

The federal spectrum assessment is one of several tasks in the Presidential Memorandum aimed at building a sustainable, forward-looking national strategy to ensure America’s continued leadership across technology sectors (Industry Intelligence, Oct. 29, 2018). Transparency in how spectrum is being utilized and collaboration among stakeholders are key elements of the Administration’s approach.

To that end, NTIA intends to post a public summary of the reports on its website to the extent permitted by law.

Please contact the UTC Public Policy Team with any questions.

Senate Approves McNamee to FERC Slot

The Senate last week confirmed Bernard McNamee to fill a vacant seat at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC, the Commission).

Once sworn in, Mr. McNamee will bring the Commission back to a full slate of Commissioners; former Commissioner Robert Powelson left the agency this summer (Industry Intelligence, July 9, 2018).

UTC President and CEO Joy Ditto congratulated Mr. McNamee upon his confirmation.

“On behalf of the Utilities Technology Council, I offer our congratulations to incoming Commissioner Bernard McNamee upon his Senate confirmation to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,” Ms. Ditto said. “FERC’s first and primary responsibility is ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of energy services. Utility communication networks are critical to maintaining resilient and secure energy infrastructure. We look forward to working with Commissioner McNamee, Chairman Neil Chatterjee, and Commissioners Cheryl LaFleur, Kevin McIntyre, and Richard Glick on these issues.”

Prior to his confirmation, Mr. McNamee served as the Executive Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Policy and as Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy. He was also a policy advisor on energy issues to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and practiced energy law for nine years as a partner and senior counsel at Richmond, Va.-based McGuireWoods LLC.

Please contact the UTC Public Policy Team with any questions.

NOTE: Industry Intelligence Publishes Last 2018 Issue on Dec. 17

Editor’s Note: Due to the upcoming holidays, Industry Intelligence will not publish on Dec. 24 or Dec. 31.

Our first issue of 2019 will publish on Jan. 7.

The Dec. 17, 2018 will be our last issue of the year.

Please contact the Industry Intelligence team with any questions.

Happy Holidays!

Upcoming Events

A snapshot of upcoming UTC webinars, events, and conference calls.

• Dec. 11: ONDAS Networks Sponsored-Webinar–Mission Critical IoT Communications, IEEE 802.16s, Applications and Case Studies; Registration Information
• Dec. 18: Utilities Broadband Committee Monthly Call—For more information, contact Brett Kilbourne
• Dec. 20: Public Policy Division Monthly Call—For more information, contact Sharla Artz
• Jan. 4: Knowledge & Learning Division Call—For more information, contact Bobbi Harris