Utilities Technology Council Thanks Brett Kilbourne for His Service as Senior Vice President, Policy and General Counsel

01 Nov Utilities Technology Council Thanks Brett Kilbourne for His Service as Senior Vice President, Policy and General Counsel

Utilities Technology Council Thanks Brett Kilbourne for His Service as Senior Vice President, Policy and General Counsel

Washington, DC—November 1, 2023—

The Utilities Technology Council (UTC) expresses its appreciation for outgoing Senior Vice President, Policy and General Counsel Brett Kilbourne, who left the organization on October 20 after 25 years. One of UTC’s longest-serving staff members, Kilbourne joined the association in 1998. Since then he has advocated for the association and its members at the federal and state levels as well as ensuring UTC’s overall legal and regulatory compliance and adherence to association governing bylaws and principles.

UTC is a global trade association representing electric, gas, and water utilities in their mission-critical information and communications technologies. UTC will work to fill Kilbourne’s position and build on his success and continue the association’s momentum as it continues to work on behalf of its members and the communities they serve.

“On behalf of UTC and its members, I want to thank Brett and express our appreciation for his more than two decades of service, advocacy, and guidance as we represent our members in their mission-critical technologies by driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and influencing public policy,” said UTC Interim President and CEO Ron Beck. “Brett and I have known each other and worked together longer than either of us want to admit, and I especially thank him for the invaluable support he’s given me over the past months as I transitioned into my role as Interim President and CEO,” Beck continued.

During his career at UTC, Kilbourne developed and led a number of key initiatives. From 1998-2000 he supported utilities offering wholesale and retail telecom services, and he advocated against state and local restrictions on these “utelcos”.  Beginning in 2002, he supported the development of broadband over powerline, which enabled the use of existing powerlines for Internet services and enhanced utility applications, and he helped to create the UTC United Powerline Council to support it.  During this time, he also advocated for access to spectrum and additional funding to support utility grid modernization (aka “smart grid”), which contributed towards provisions for utilities in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan in 2010 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2008.

Beginning in 2012, he advocated for policies to promote broadband deployment by utilities to unserved and underserved communities, including advocacy for funding for utility broadband from Congress, the FCC, the USDA Rural Utilities Service, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the U.S. Treasury Department and from numerous states across the country.   Kilbourne helped to create the UTC Utilities Broadband Council to support utility broadband deployment; the UTC UtiliSite Council to address issues for utilities related to pole attachments, wireless collocation, and fiber leasing; and the UTC Smart Networks Council to address issues for utility grid modernization.  Internationally, he has advocated for access to spectrum for utilities as part of the Inter‑American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) Permanent Consultative Committee II and as an Associate Member of the International Telecommunications Union ITU-R Study Group SG-5, Working Party 5A.

Kilbourne is also the author of key UTC white papers and reports addressing business, technical, and policy issues at the national and international level. He has also served as an association expert for national and trade media and industry events and at events around the world.

Kilbourne joins Stevens & Lee as Of Counsel in its Energy and Utility Group, providing strategic regulatory and business counsel to public and private companies in the energy and utility sector. Not unlike his work at UTC, he will continue to provide counsel regarding opportunities to leverage existing utility infrastructure, expand into emerging markets, and advance project development and implementation plans that comply with federal and state agency and utility commission requirements.

Stevens & Lee is a full-service law firm with 190 lawyers in 16 U.S. offices.

The UTC staff wishes Brett and his family the very best as he begins the next chapter of his professional and personal story.

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About UTC

The Utilities Technology Council (UTC) is a global trade association dedicated to serving critical infrastructure providers. Through advocacy, education and collaboration, UTC creates a favorable business, regulatory and technology environment for our members who own or operate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems in support of their core business. For more information: UTC.org