[Davisgig] Electrical grid as a broadband carrier

[Lorenzo Kristov]

Chattanooga TN is a poster child for municipal broadband installed in conjunction with electric utility communication/control systems. They’ve been up and running for more than a decade with major benefits, including growth of high-tech businesses in the city. The effort was started by the electric utility in order to improve distribution reliability and performance, with city-wide high-speed internet a secondary benefit. There’s lots more info here:

https://ilsr.org/search_gcse/?q=chattanooga 

Jim is correct that the path to municipal broadband would be lots easier if VCE takes over PG&E’s electric distribution system. I don’t know if there are examples of cities installing municipal fiber if they don’t already have municipal electric utility. 

Stop, be still, and listen.
Because you’re drunk
And we’re at the edge of the roof.
- Rumi

> On Aug 14, 2019, at 11:04 PM, Jim Frame <jhframe at dcn.org> wrote:
> 
> Valley Clean Energy is planning to investigate the purchase PG&E's local electric infrastructure in light of the potential PG&E bankruptcy.  That opens some interesting possibilities.
> 
> On 8/14/2019 10:25 PM, Shneor Sherman via Davisgig wrote:
>> Chattanooga's locally owned (maybe municipal) electric utility did exactly that years ago, laying fiber along their grid. But PG&E?
>> Shneor Sherman
>> On Wednesday, August 14, 2019, 9:05:35 PM PDT, Larry Dieterich <ls at whitewavedigital.com> wrote:
>> Is anyone on the list aware of examples where the electrical grid infrastructure is used to carry broadband fiber?
>> I ask because very recently Mexico announced that they will be providing Internet across the entire country in partnership with the electrical distribution network.
>> I’m wondering about the opportunities for Davis gig for partnering with PG&E or SMUD or some other electrical utility to utilize their existing power infrastructure to deliver broadband via fiber.
>> I’m wondering if there might be some benefit to these electric utilities to delivering high speed broadband to their customers.
>> Larry Dieterich
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> Jim Frame                jhframe at dcn.org                 530.756.8584
> Frame Surveying & Mapping         609 A Street        Davis, CA 95616
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