🚀 go-pugleaf

I am new to this news group and I would like to contribute to the efforts of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network and Smart Valley, Inc.

I would like to submit an editorial on a point of interest that I believe concerns the future of the information infrastructure in the Bay Area.  In today's San Jose Mercury News, the Business Monday section presented an interesting article, A Powerful Pi
tch.  The article, by staff writer David Bank, details efforts "to have the power company build the infrastructure and have the telephone and cable companies use that infrastructure."  I found this alternative to telephone companies' networks refreshing a
nd with some solid advantages: saving home owners money.

In terms of infrastructure, "the utility companies already have "thousands of miles of fiber-optic cabling in the ground ... and they have power poles and rights-of-way into nearly every American home."  Using the networks in place and a smart control uni
t in the home, utility companies could provide an interactive, on-line service to help home owners reduce their power costs.  

Home owners would be able to assign priorities to all electrical appliances and schedule selected appliances' power consumption at off-peak times.  Also, contracts could be established with the power company to forego power to certain appliances for small
 intervals of time during peak intervals in return for a discount from the power company.  This works to the benefit of both the consumer and the provider.  The consumer will be able to monitor and schedule their home's consumption and take advantage of r
educed rates during off-peak hours.  The power utility would be able to better distribute its resources by scheduling demand and reducing the "controllable load". 

This interactive on-line service would take up only a small fraction of the available capacity.  The lion's share of capacity could then be leased to other communications companies, providing the home with cable television, data on demand, and telephone a
ccess.

The difference in who provides the infrastructure may be significant.  Telephone companies would charge customers for the additional cost of installation of new fiber-optic cable networks.  If provided by the power companies, the consumers would be saving
 money, due both to increased power efficiency and to discounts from the power company for sacrificing power to their air-conditioners, for example, during peak times.  The amount of construction work necessary to install these fiber-optic and co-axial ne
tworks also plays a part.  Minimal impact on all environments is obviously preferable.  Digging up roads, diverting traffic and affecting local environments should be minimized.  

The companies currently involved in testing such services include: Entergy Enterprises, Inc. (New Orleans-based utility), Arkansas Power & Light, our own PG&E, Tele-Communications Inc., Sprint Corp., Microsoft, San Jose's First Pacific Networks Inc.

The article goes on to show the other side of the coin.  PG&E is also looking at providing similar services using the cable companies' upgraded networks.

I find the utilities' involvement interesting.  I welcome any further comments and look forward to reviewing posts to this news group.

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                                             ccmiller@netcom.com