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The bandwidth and reliability of fiber
are helping businesses move computing out
of their own data centers and into the “cloud” –
accessing their applications, storage and even
raw computing power over the Internet instead
of via a local area network.
tions between all of the electric transmission
and distribution components, the
electric meters and end user devices.
Fiber-to-the-home networks, because
they offer the most reliable and
high-capacity broadband available, are
already being used in a number of smart
grid initiatives. For example, Pulaski
Electric System (PES) in Pulaski, Tennessee
(whose FTTH system is featured
in this month’s Municipal Deployment
Snapshot), is implementing an advanced
metering infrastructure and other
smart-grid applications, using communications
via fiber and wireless.
The PES system gathers meter data
from electric, water and gas meters and
other endpoints and sends the information
to the operations center over the fiber
network. The data can be integrated into
billing, outage management, forecasting
and customer service applications. PES
executive vice president Wes Kelley says
the company anticipates power savings
through faster outage detection and
restoration, and especially by eliminating
hard-to-read rural routes. PES also
has plans to help customers increase
their own energy efficiency, putting
them in greater control of their power
use and expenditures. Customers will be
able to get real-time notifications about
consumption status and current energy
costs, and receive signals when load control
events are in effect.
Chattanooga, Tennessee; Glasgow,
Kentucky; and Bristol, Tennessee, three
other cities whose municipal electric
utilities operate fiber-to-the-home networks,
have also embarked on smart
grid projects.
Even in cities without a utility-driven
smart grid program, homeowners and
MDU owners are creating their own
“smart buildings,” using broadband to
help monitor and control energy usage,
including both electrical appliances and
heating/cooling systems. Communications
within the building may be carried
over anything from a simple wireless
mesh (see our report from the Consumer
Electronics Show in this issue) to
fiber optic backbone. The more sophisticated
systems use broadband connections
both to program the devices and
The Emerging Internet Economy
March 30 & 31, Washington DC
• Hear how the Internet drives
economic growth.
• See FTTH plans by the CIO of
San Francisco and the CTO of Seattle.
• Meet the visionaries of Lafayette and
Glasgow networks.
• Learn from notorious municipal
network failures.
• Get the scoop from Obama
administration insiders.
Register by February 28
to save $300.
to continuously gather and analyze data
on usage patterns.
The opportunities for FTTH networks
to save energy and reduce environmental
damage seem limitless. Simply
shifting newspaper subscriptions from
physical to online media will save 57.4
million tons of greenhouse gases over the
next decade, according to the American
Consumer Institute, and downloads of
music, video and other media are saving
even more. New applications will offer
still more opportunities.
To sum up: FTTH delivers more
than broadband! BBP
About the Authors
Steve can be reached at steve@broadband
properties.com, and Masha at masha@
broadbandproperties.com.
Cloud computing allows data centers to
be located in places where sustainable energy
is available and inexpensive.
Register for F2C at freedom-to-connect.net
Hear telecom guru and F2C Founder David Isenberg
speak at the Broadband Properties Summit.
January/February 2009 | www.broadbandproperties.com | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | 35