The Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) Plenary Committee voted to add three new standards to the SGIP Catalog of Standards. According to the NIST website, “the Catalog is a compendium of standards and practices considered to be relevant for the development and deployment of a robust and interoperable Smart Grid.” NIST and the SGIP no longer recommend standards for adoption by regulators like Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  Instead, the agency has created the Catalog of Standards that allows regulators to review common standards when creating regulations and best practices.  Standards added to the catalog recently are IEEE C37.238, WS-Calendar Common Schedule Communication Mechanism and SAE 2847-1 Communication between Plug-in Vehicles and the Utility Grid. Read more »

The UTC Technical Division held an Open Call for all members focused on LightSquared and GPS Interference on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. The call  featured Jeff Carlisle, Executive Vice President at LightSquared, and Jim Kirkland, Vice President, General Counsel at Trimble Navigation representing the Coalition to Save Our GPS. 

Both speakers addressed the history of the issue, mentioning past Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings and steps taken by government agencies to sort out the problem. Both presenters spent time speaking about spectrum frequency, specifically radiofrequency band, LightSquared’s effects on timing devices and high powered base stations. Attendees asked questions ranging from such topics as timing receivers to public safety to LightSquared’s proposed next steps.   While both sides continue to debate, the call was a technical look inside the issues from both perspectives. 

The Technical Division is very excited about upcoming Open Calls and encourages UTC members to look for future Open Calls in the UTC Alert and the UTC Industry Intelligence. To suggest a future Open Call topic or to enquire about presenting, please contact Samantha LeSesne.

LightSquared filed its much anticipated report with the FCC on the potential of interference to GPS operations, and the report concludes that “transmissions in the 10 MHz band at the top of LightSquared’s downlink frequencies — the band nearest to the GPS frequencies— will adversely affect the performance of a significant number of legacy GPS receivers. LightSquared’s proposed solution is to “permit it to commence operations on the lower 10 MHz portion of its spectrum that poses no risk to the users of over 99 percent of GPS devices and to coordinate and share the cost of underwriting a workable solution for the small number of precision measurement and other devices that may be at risk.” LightSquared will delay using “the upper 10 MHz of its frequencies in which transmissions may jeopardize legacy GPS usage,” but it does intend to ultimately use the “full complement of terrestrial frequencies operating at appropriate power levels.” In its Report, LightSquared blames the GPS industry for failing to filter their receivers, despite knowing since 2003 that there was a risk of adjacent band interference from LIghtSquared and other services in the nearby bands. It also criticizes the GPS industry for having “attempted to deflect public attention from their own failures by subjecting LightSquared to a massive, vitriolic public relations and lobbying effort outside the scope of this proceeding.” For more information, contact the UTC Legal/Regulatory Department.