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Lawmakers Call for Smart Grid Access To Wireless

PC World, Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:24 AM

The FCC is scheduled to vote Thursday on final rules allowing mobile broadband devices to use the so-called white spaces, spectrum assigned for television use but not occupied by TV stations. But U.S. Representatives Doris Matsui and Anna Eshoo, both California Democrats, called on the FCC to allow so-called smart grid devices -- digital electricity meters for homes and businesses -- to also use white-space spectrum.

Electric utilities would "substantially benefit" from using the white spaces, the lawmakers added. Using the white spaces spectrum, sometimes called super Wi-Fi, utilities could automate meter reading and send outage notifications more efficiently. Plus, the white spaces will help utilities and customers use energy more efficiently, they wrote.

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