NARUC: COVID v. Renewables
NARUC Summer Summit
A panel discussion moderated by Jeffrey Ackermann with Sarah Hofmann, Ben Fowke, and Gregory Wetstone.
People
NARUC: Landmark LTE Order
NARUC Summer Summit
The Federal Communications Commission on May 13 made a key segment of underutilized spectrum in the 900 MHz range available to electric utilities to use for broadband data platforms that will support the modern electric grid.
It gave utilities an essential tool to tackle the current safety and health crisis, as well as prepare transformational opportunities to make infrastructure efficient, resilient, and cyber secure. This panel at NARUC's Summer Policy Summit on July 20, 2020 explored how utilities and customers will rely on communications networks in the future.
Young African American Looks at Utilities
Careers
A conversation with a recent Princeton University grad considering careers including potentially within the utilities industry.
APPA’s Public Power Connect, June 8
American Public Power Association
The awards ceremony, excerpted here, was held virtually.
Utility Workforce: Rich Meisinger
Business Manager, IBEW Local 111
Half of the control room operators had been exposed to COVID at one of their power plants. We only have four, so there were two left. For two weeks, those two lived at the plant, so it had 24-hour coverage.
Utility Workforce: Kris Anderson
IBEW Third District Representative
On Christmas Eve there was a big outage and we got the wires hung, we closed the fuse in and saw all the Christmas lights pop on. I know it meant a lot to those folks.
Utility Workforce: Virgil Melton
Curriculum Specialist
Our first-year apprentices are making $100,000 a year when they start out.
Utility Workforce: Drew Stover
Business Manager, IBEW Local 84
Safety is priority number one for all of us and our employers partner with us on that.
Utility Workforce: Donnie Colston and Mark Brueggenjohann
IBEW Utility & Media Directors
The IBEW represents railroad workers, manufacturing, media, utilities, outside construction, and every aspect of the utility industry.
Utility Workforce: Jerry Bellah
IBEW VP, Eighth District
Being a lineman in the field, you’re one of the more valuable people in the economy in the U.S., as they are considered an essential occupation and stayed working during the lockdown.