Informational Workshop - VTel Backup Power Obligation - Thursday, September 26 at Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. Please DO ATTEND!!
When Act 79 was passed to encourage broadband expansion, the Vermont General Assembly directed the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to submit a report to the Legislature by December 15 to "recommend best practices for minimizing disruptions to E-911 services during power outages." (Where there is no cell service, disruptions to E911 have become a worrisome reality).
To meet the legislative directive, the PUC (Case No. 19-0705-PET) is having workshops on digital telecommunication systems requiring an independent electricity supply, which is quite different from the copper wire systems that carried their own electricity over the phone lines. The PUC has asked the telecom utilities (Comcast, VTEL, Consolidated, etc.), municipalities, and consumer groups for ideas on what measures to include in its recommendations.
The PUC held its third workshop on the topic in Montpelier on September 19. The utilities say they are already in compliance with Federal requirements for "offering" their customers backup batteries, and they naturally want to avoid any additional costs. The Vermont Department of Public Service (DPS) seems to share that point of view. One utility spoke of 24 hour batteries costing customers $165. Our understanding is that VTEL uses rechargeable lead acid batteries (B.B.Battery VRLA Rechargeable BP7.2-12) with around 8 hours service time and a price range starting at $12.00+ and up.
The DPS also seems to be supporting the position that broadband speed is more of a priority for Vermont consumers than safety whether E911 or other concerns for communities without cell service (conversations of August 20 and September 18).
Five of us from the area participated in the third workshop: two people from Shrewsbury, a selectboard member from Mount Holly and from Andover; I was present for Wallingford. Tinmouth is also supporting this effort. We are five communities served by VTEL with concerns about loss of phone service during power outages. We think that rural towns are making the case that the telecoms should be required to provide better information, along with technical and financial assistance, to help customers better operate, maintain, and if necessary replace their difficult-to-understand and expensive battery backup equipment. A fourth and final workshop will be held October 21, and we will coordinate our response among the five towns to recommend a list of "best practices' so the PUC report will give the Legislature a list of recommended actions that effectively address the loss-of-service problem.
Informational Workshop - VTel Backup Power Obligation - Thursday, September 26 at Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. Please DO ATTEND!!
You can read the documents presented so far on Case No. 19-0705-PET at the Vermont Public Utility Commission.
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