FCC Urged To Help Advance Smart Grid Technologies

Two lawmakers on the House Commerce Committee urged the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that smart electrical grid technologies can utilize unused spectrum between broadcast television channels known as "white spaces."

The FCC is set to vote Thursday on a final rule allowing for the use of white spaces for "unlicensed broadband wireless devices." In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) urged him to "ensure a variety of technologies, including smart grid applications, are able to utilize this spectrum to advance our nation's clean energy needs." They note that advances in technology can allow consumers to monitor their energy use in real time. Electrical utilities also could benefit from having access to white spaces, they added.