On June 24, California's Public Utilities Commission unveiled its roadmap to bring the state's electric grid into the 21st century. The proposed "smart grid", will allow two-way communications, sensors and control technologies, and promises to affect the way electricity is generated, transmitted, and used. Read More »
Resolving how energy data flows, whether through broadband, telecommunications and the public Internet or on narrowband and private networks owned by public utilities, is a glaring obstacle to smart grid infrastructure in the United States. Read More »
In a win-win-win proposition for workers, consumers and the environment, the Communications Workers of America and the Sierra Club are working together to ensure that all Americans have access to high-speed broadband networks. Read More »
Protecting workers' rights and building out high-speed broadband to every community will spur the economic growth our country needs and create quality, union, green jobs, Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen told participants this week at the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference. Read More »
President Barack Obama commended the FCC on its release of the National Broadband Plan and its framework for providing universal high-speed Internet and expanding technological opportunity in low-income communities. Read More »
Private industry financing of broadband must increase in order to meet the United State's aggressive broadband adoption and deployment goals, according to a new Brookings Institution study. The FCC has estimated that it will require $350 billion to provide universal broadband coverage in the U.S. Read More »
On March 4, The Communications Workers of America and three of its partner organizations released a report called Networking the Green Economy. The report found that new communication technologies are actually a critical part of making our energy-hungry economy more sustainable and energy-efficient. Read More »
The FCC recently released working recommendations for key priorities that will be part of next month's unveiling of the National Broadband Plan. The recommendations are meant to bring greater high-speed Internet availability to the health care, education, and energy sectors, and move the federal government into a new era of engagement and transparency. Read More »
Wondering how to solve the climate crisis and make America energy independent? A big part of the answer is broadband, says the co-author of the recent House climate bill. If implemented nationally, smart grid has the potential to mitigate some of our most pressing energy issues, Markey stated, and the expansion and upgrading of broadband infrastructure will accelerate its development and adoption. "Without the broadband revolution, you cannot have the revolution we’re talking about," he said Read More »
On August 25, the FCC held a National Broadband Plan workshop focused on broadband and the potentially transformative role that communications infrastructure could play in meeting our national energy, environmental, and transportation goals. Eric Lightner, the Director of the Federal Smart Grid Task Force at the Department of Energy, defined the smart grid as "an enabling platform that integrates the latest digital and information technologies into the nation's electric delivery network for enhanced operational intelligence and connectivity throughout all application areas." Read More »
