ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE SYMPOSIUM

Building the Next Generation System for Improved Distribution Performance and Customer Service

Sponsored By:

As the utilities look for ways to implement the next generation of electric, gas and water services, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is at the core of this movement. AMI is a critical step in implementing demand management and supporting your customer’s responsible use of essential services. This symposium will explore how regulators are driving the deployment of AMI systems and about the different technology options. You also will learn how others have gone from the theoretical planning stage to successful AMI implementation. There are more and more AMR and AMI events every year, but none will put AMI into the overall perspective of total critical infrastructure communications the same as UTC’s AMI Symposium.

Sun, May 06
04:30 PM - 06:30 PM	UTC EXPO 2007 Grand Opening Kick off UTC EXPO 2007, the exhibit hall of UTC TELECOM 2007, with other attendees along with UTC's technology partners with food, drinks and networking in the hall. Walk around and meet old and new friends as you get a glimpse of what UTC EXPO 2007 has to offer.
Mon, May 07
08:30 AM - 10:00 AM	Opening General Session Kick off UTC TELECOM 2007 at the Opening General Session on Monday morning where we will introduce all attendees to this year’s theme: Learning. Connecting. Celebrating. The Critical Infrastructure Communications Experience. The General Session will feature reports from UTC’s Chairman of the Board, Joseph Lackey, Telecommunications Supervisor at Southside Electric Cooperative, and UTC’s Division Chairs explaining what UTC is doing to help you with your jobs. Don’t miss UTC TELECOM 2007’s keynote address by Andres Carvallo, the nationally recognized Chief Information Officer at Austin Energy. Hear how this innovative CIO sees the future of critical infrastructure communications and learn how Austin Energy is on the cutting edge many new utility telecom ideas.
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM	Smart Meters Need Smart Networks Room: 17A A smart network is the linchpin of smart metering. AMI needs meters that measure interval consumption, record voltage, verify outage and accept commands. But, it is the network that creates the bridge between the user and the utility allowing for the efficient transfer of data between multiple endpoints and the utility’s operations center and its various business applications. This session will help make you smarter about knowing what kind of “smarts” your smart meter network really needs to deliver the best value.
11:15 AM - 11:30 AM	Networking Break
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM	Visions of the AMI/SmartGrid Future: the Technologists’ Perspective Room: 17A Whether AMI is a utility’s first step or part of a giant leap into building the next generation of critical information infrastructure, a strong technology partner will be a key element of success. This session will feature representatives from several of UTC’s leading technology partners outlining their vision of AMI/SmartGrid’s future. Hear each describe its technology, its benefits and how each plans to help your utility build the intelligent grid of the future.
11:45 AM - 05:30 PM	UTC EXPO 2007 Open
12:30 PM - 02:30 PM	Networking Lunch in UTC EXPO 2007
01:45 PM - 03:15 PM	HOT TOPIC: Two Projects for the Future Utility – Substation Communications and Fiber Room: 17A Join the KEMA team that carried out one project and is working on the other, along with major sponsors, to discuss how utilities are working to upgrade their substations and communications networks, but at a pace consistent with available resources and budgets. This session also will look at the technologies being considered; how legacy networks are integrated with new systems; and how fiber networks will increasingly be used to meet a wide variety of internal challenges as well as serve as a revenue opportunity.
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM	HOT TOPIC: Disaster Planning and Your Wireless and IT Systems Room: 19AB Businesses, including utilities, are missing the key role of wireless communications and IT networks in their business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Few commercial businesses have a comprehensive BC/DR plan: while some have a sketchy idea of procedures to meet basic requirements, many others don’t even have that. This presentation looks at the benefits of a top-down BC/DR plan, including the critical role of wireless, and you will hear from one utility that has been doing serious thinking about how to change its use of technology to meet new emergencies and possible pandemics.
06:30 PM - 09:30 PM	UTC Gala Room: Buffalo Billiards A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, a little bit of everything -- Austin is the “Live Music Capital of the World” and UTC certainly can’t send you home without a taste of some great live music! That’s why this year’s UTC Gala will feature country western sounds and a starring lead singer - your chairman - Joe Lackey! Dance the night away or enjoy casual time with food and drinks to catch up with old friends. The UTC Gala will be a night to remember your trip to Austin and UTC TELECOM 2007.
Tue, May 08
08:00 AM - 10:00 AM	Breakfast General Session Featuring: Presentation of the UTC Apex Award & Special Keynote Address on Next Generation Infrastructures The presentation of Third Annual UTC Apex Award, sponsored by Motorola, will be an awards breakfast to remember as we honor the absolute best in utility telecommunications. Join us as we showcase the winners of this distinguished award and the finalists - told through the stories they submitted. This year, we are adding a special address to immediately follow the UTC Apex Award presentation. Bruce Germano, Vice President of Retail Delivery at Long Island Power Authority, and Chairman of EPRI’s IntelliGrid Project, has been invited to give his unique perspective on the critical role of communications in the next generation of utility infrastructure.
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM	Networking Break
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM	Realities of Advanced Metering and Next-Generation Infrastructure Room: 17A While AMI and SmartGrids have become buzzwords within the utility industry, what do they really mean? How can utilities truly realize quantifiable benefits that can be demonstrated with these technologies? This session will move beyond the hype and delve into the real issues associated with advanced metering and intelligent grid initiatives, showing you ways to structure your thinking about the opportunities for your utility.
	BPL as an Intelligent Grid – City of Austin Case Study Room: 18AB PowerGrid Communications is working with Austin Energy and the City of Austin, Texas on a multi dimensional hybrid BPL/WiMesh deployment featuring intelligent grid applications such as outage detection along with an integrated water and electric AMR network and home energy management systems that will enable real time monitoring of energy and water usage combined with the capability to control high use appliances by accessing smart thermostats and relays. The project also includes an integrated solar energy management system, BPL-enabled video surveillance service, and broadband consumer services such as high speed internet access and VoIP. This session will explore how they designed the BPL system and are operating it to address identified needs regarding electric and water conservation, customer satisfaction and service improvement, as well as identify leverage points for additional community services.
10:30 AM - 03:30 PM	UTC EXPO 2007 Open
11:15 AM - 11:30 AM	Networking Break in UTC EXPO 2007
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM	HOT TOPIC: Retirement – How it Affects You and Your Utility Room: 19AB Sponsored by the UTC Career Center - This session will focus on two aspects of retirement: how it affects you financially when you make the choice to leave, and what impact retirement has on utilities. Experts from a financial services firm offer help on how to prepare yourself for retirement and the many issues associated with transitioning out of the working world – even if you plan to work after your “official” retirement. The second part of the session will include a discussion on how utility companies can cope with an aging workforce and make sure that no critical knowledge is lost in handing off jobs to younger professionals. This session is great for those about to retire and utility HR department curious about what to do next!
	International Utility Telecom Roundtable *NEW* Room: 11A All delegates to UTC TELECOM 2007 are invited to attend this special roundtable discussion about key utility telecom initiatives underway outside the United States. A discussion will be led by UTC’s International Division Co-Chairmen and will feature an update on Smart Grids activities in the European Union and projects of note from South America with a special emphasis on activities in Brazil. In addition, all international delegates present will be invited to report on activities in their countries. Regardless of where you are from, this session will provide unique perspectives on utility telecom around the world.
12:30 PM - 02:30 PM	Networking Lunch in UTC EXPO 2007
01:00 PM - 03:00 PM	HOT TOPIC: UTC Legal/Regulatory/Legislative Room: 19AB What is the FCC planning for the frequency bands in which you operate? What is the status of the proceedings you’re worried about? What are Congress and Federal agencies doing to help critical infrastructure communications? In this always-popular session, get an overview of what the UTC Legal/Regulatory staff is doing and how we read the landscape for your communications systems, including the status of legislative work and the drive toward a critical infrastructure spectrum allocation.
03:15 PM - 04:45 PM	How Government is Driving AMI, Distribution Automation & SmartGrids -SUPER SESSION Room: 17A Legislators and regulators have decided that utilities need to invest more in automating their distribution systems. What they want is greater reliability, fewer outages, better restoration predictability, demand management through time-of-day billing and a touch of broadband in underserved areas. Congress began by passing the Energy Policy Act in 2005 that encourages investment in advanced energy infrastructure. And, states are following suit with regulations encouraging aggressive investment in improved infrastructure. With regulatory mandates likely to sweep the country, learn from experts what’s behind this drive and how it likely will affect your utility.
04:15 PM - 04:30 PM	Networking Break
04:30 PM - 05:30 PM	Understanding What the Next Generation Electric Grid will Look Like Room: 17A When trying to make decisions on what steps to take with AMI or building your next-generation infrastructure, it helps to have some idea of what the “end game” will look like. This session will look at the results of two studies into what the future energy distribution and transmission grids will look like AND the possible information communications technology requirements. Over 100 different intelligent technologies that will likely be available to grid operators have been evaluated. Come learn which ones will work best for your utility.
06:30 PM - 09:30 PM	UTC Awards Dinner Room: Hilton Salon A/B/C The UTC Awards Dinner is the main social event of UTC TELECOM 2007! Join us as we honor the recipients of UTC’s most prestigious awards, the Dondanville, Meehan and Chairman’s Awards after enjoying a formal, sit down dinner. What better way to end out UTC TELECOM 2007 than ending the last full day with a presentation honoring colleagues and friends. Make sure to stay after dinner for a great dessert and an evening spent listening to jazz. *semi-formal attire
Wed, May 09
08:00 AM - 10:00 AM	Capstone - UTC Annual Membership Meeting & Breakfast Room: Ballroom EFG Help us wrap up UTC TELECOM 2007 in style on Wednesday morning as we elect UTC’s new officers for 2007-2008. Join outgoing UTC Chairman Joe Lackey and the senior members of UTC’s leadership as reports are delivered on activities over the past year and plans for 2007-2008. The Annual UTC Membership Meeting is an important aspect of being a member. But, it is also an important opportunity for anyone interested in becoming a UTC member. This is a short but ideal way to learn how you can benefit from greater involvement in UTC. Come and be a part of the annual progress of your trade association!
10:15 AM - 12:00 PM	Pole Attachment Workshop – Challenges and Opportunities Room: 18AB Pole attachment and joint use issues are heating up! This workshop will identify the legal/regulatory developments, business and operational issues and technical and safety considerations that face the utility industry. It will feature leading experts providing their perspectives and answering your questions about the big policy issues and the routine operational challenges you need to know. These are issues that affect every aspect of the utility business: reliability, safety, asset management, and communications. You can’t afford to miss this session.
	Grounding Workshop Room: 19AB Grounding systems help telecom systems operate at peak performance. To keep grounding systems functioning at their best, it is essential to understand how the key elements of a grounding system function and how to solve common problems. Attendees of this practical workshop will learn about subjects including grounding electrode systems, single point grounding, isolated ring and halo grounds, as well as tower grounding practices and site bonding.
12:30 PM - 05:00 PM	Austin Energy/PowerGrid Communications BPL Site Visit Ever wonder what BPL is all about really? Come see it live at the Austin Energy/PowerGrid Communications BPL demo house. After all the UTC TELECOM 2007 workshops are over on Wednesday afternoon, Austin Energy is inviting UTC TELECOM 2007 attendees to see their demo house. There is no set tour and attendees will be welcome to browse through the house at their leisure. PowerGrid Communications will treat attendees that visit the BPL Demo House to a barbeque lunch. Buses will leave the Austin Convention Center at 12:30 p.m. Buses will start coming back to the Austin Convention Center at 4:00 p.m. RSVP to stephanie.colbert@utc.org.