Behind the Grid

The power grid is transforming. Across the country, utility companies are under pressure to integrate renewables, meet growing electrification demands, and modernize outdated systems. But while much of the conversation focuses on solar panels, batteries, and AI-driven forecasting, there is another critical piece that often gets overlooked: telecom.

I recently sat down with Aaron Dutney, Senior Manager of Telecom, at Arizona Public Service (APS), to explore the real work that goes into building the communication backbone of the modern grid.

Aaron brings decades of experience to the table. From his early days in the military working in IT, to his current role leading communications engineering and network integration at APS, he has seen the telecom landscape evolve dramatically.

As Aaron described it, when he started in the industry, communication was relatively simple. Point-to-point systems dominated. Routing was deterministic. You could trace every connection from end to end.

Now, things are different. Today’s telecom infrastructure has to support a grid that is smarter, faster, and more complex. That means moving away from legacy systems like time-division multiplexing (TDM) and toward dynamic, IP-based protocols that can handle massive amounts of data in real time. But that shift is anything but simple.

At APS, Aaron and his team are in the middle of a long-term project to overhaul their telecom network. It is not a short-term upgrade. It is an eleven-year effort to move from aging microwave radios to modern, scalable systems. This includes everything from expanding fiber and private LTE to integrating new communication technologies that can reach devices in the most remote corners of the state.

Microwave towers don’t just appear overnight, yet we often treat telecom as ancillary, when, in fact, it is just as physical, just as important, as poles and wires. While many utilities talk about transmission lines and substations, telecom often remains in the background. But without it, there is no control. No data. No visibility into the health of the grid.

One of the biggest challenges for utilities is to support both the old and the new technologies at the same time. Remote terminal units (RTUs) are still deployed across the grid. Many are not IP-capable, yet they are critical to system control and monitoring.

Upgrading them all at once is not feasible. So, teams must build bridges between generations of technology, creating hybrid systems that can talk to both legacy and modern equipment.

This duality creates a workforce challenge. The technicians out in the field are not just telecom specialists. They are expected to work on RTUs, microwave radios, fiber, copper lines, physical security systems, two-way radios, and even IP switches. They may need to climb a tower one day, troubleshoot a digital network the next, and help maintain decades-old equipment in between. They are some of our utility superheroes.

Investment in People and Training

To keep up, Aaron emphasized that ongoing training is critically important. A one-off class here or there is not sufficient. There must be an effective culture of continuous learning. He encourages his teams to spend an hour everyday training. Whether it is watching videos, working in labs, or studying new protocols, the goal is to stay curious and stay relevant.

“If you’re not learning, you’re falling behind,” he said. “Technology is changing too fast. You must own it.”

This investment in people matters just as much as the investment in hardware. As Aaron explained, telecom is no longer just about keeping the lights on. It is about enabling smarter grid operations, real-time fault detection, automation, and eventually, self-healing networks. Every application that runs on the grid, from load control to DER management, depends on reliable, scalable communications.

Aaron described telecom as a highway and the applications as the cars. His job is to make sure the highway is built, maintained, and ready to handle whatever cars will need to travel it. But building that highway takes time, money, and coordination across teams.

“We are constantly trying to align,” he said. “With the application teams, with the business side, with the control centers. Everyone is moving fast. We must make sure we’re all moving in the same direction.”

At a time when the grid is becoming more distributed, data-heavy, and critical to every part of daily life, the role of telecom is more important than ever. Modernizing the grid is not just about adding new tech. It is about connecting it all together and supporting the people who make that connection possible.