Tuesday, March 13, 2012

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Registration

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Continental Breakfast

8:45 – 9:00 a.m. Magnolia III
Opening Remarks

Carl Nichols, Project Manager, Duke Energy Corporation and Utilisite’s Chairman of the Board of Directors
Connie Durcsak, President & CEO, Utilities Telecom Council

9:00 -10:15 a.m. Magnolia III
Pole Attachment Regulatory Update

he FCC has issued new rules for access and rates for pole attachments.  This session will review the new rules and discuss their practical impact on utilities and wireless collocation.  It will also discuss ongoing litigation of the rules, and developments at the state and local level, as well. Finally, it will also feature different perspectives from ILECs and attachers, as well as utility representatives.

 

Brett Kilbourne, Vice President- Government Affairs & Legislative Counsel, Utilities Telecom Council Presentation
Christopher Huther, Attorney at Law, Wiley Rein LLC Presentation
Aryeh Fishman, Attorney, Edison Electric Institute Presentation

10:15 – 11:30 a.m. Magnolia III
Technical Issues:  Designing Specifications for Wireless Collocation 

Utilities are developing specifications for the deployment of various wireless facilities on poles and towers.  This session will discuss the process and compare some of the specifications utilities have developed.  It will also discuss one approach from the point of the attaching customer to address issues on utility collocation.

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Networking Break

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Magnolia III
Evaluating the Impact of Rev G to Collocation Structures

TIA/EIA 222 Rev G is a tower safety standard that became effective January 1, 2006, yet most states are just now implementing this new code standard. This session will help you determine the impact of Rev G on your utility collocation program. The experts in this session will provide you with a basic understanding of the standard,  help you to identify if Rev G impacts your program, what effects it will have on your existing and future collocations and how the standard relates to other utility codes such as the National Electric Safety Code (“NESC”).

 

Michael A. Phillips, Senior Engineer,  CALTROP Corporation Presentation
Brandon Rut, P.E., Telecom Structural Manager, Neel-Schaffer, Inc. Presentation

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Magnolia I/II
Networking Lunch

1:30 – 2:45 p.m. Magnolia III
DAS 101

AS deployments are gaining momentum as a viable solution to satisfy the coverage and capacity needs of wireless providers in some situations.  Presented by the DAS Forum, this session will provide a basic overview of DAS and include case studies of successful DAS/Utility deployment.

 

Robert L. Ritter, Senior Manager - DAS Land Use & External Affairs, Crown Castle International Presentation
Karmen Rajamani, Regional Director - DAS Strategic Relations, American Tower Corporation Presentation

Session Intro

2:45 – 3:30 p.m. Magnolia III
RF Engineering Primer Series – RF Safety

The proliferation of antenna on poles – pcs, DAS, Smart Grid, wi-fi - was the potential to generate concerns over exposure and worker safety.  This session will cover the basics of radiating antenna, including power output, approach distances and methods to protect your workforce.

 

Richard P. Biby, P.E., Principal & Publisher, AGL Magazine Presentation

3:30 – 3:45 p.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Networking Break

3:45– 4:45 p.m. Magnolia III
Utility Forum

This session will discuss various strategies that utilities can use to engage with wireless providers to make a successful business.  How can a utility benefit from collocation?  Can utilities negotiate joint-builds?   How can they leverage assets, such as property, to generate new revenue streams?  Are there examples of how carriers & utilities have benefited beyond revenue generation? 

 

Tim Gasser, Project Manager- Wireless Collocation, Puget Sound Energy Presentation
Kenneth Hill, Manager-Wireless Network Construction, PPL Services Corporation Presentation
Eric Jacobson, Manager-Wireless Operations, Pacific Gas & Electric Company Presentation

5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Magnolia I/II
Networking Reception

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Registration

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Magnolia III
Opening Remarks

 

Carl Nichols, Project Manager, Duke Energy Corporation and Utilisite’s Chairman of the Board of Directors

9:15 – 10:15 a.m. Magnolia III
Smart Grid – Impacts to Joint Use

Utilities are enhancing their own networks to enable smart grid technology. This technology may require the use of commercial networks as well as collocation space on utility and commercial infrastructure. This session will explain how these new enabling utility technologies may create challenges and opportunities for utility collocation departments as well as commercial telecommunications providers.

 

Ron Bilodeau, Project Manager, NV Energy
John Coste, Director - DAS Strategic Relations, American Tower Corporation Presentation

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Networking Break

10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Magnolia III
Evolution to 4G / Wireless Panel

In order to meet capacity needs, the wireless industry is upgrading networks to the next generation of technology. LTE, WiMax and other 4G deployments will impact utility collocations in many ways. This session will outline the ways in which the wireless industry is adding to and/or modifying their equipment to deploy 4G technology and the potential impact this may have on utility collocations.

 

Mike Wojcik, Enterprise Sales Director - Utility & Industrial, Verizon Wireless Presentation
John Coste, Director - DAS Strategic Relations, American Tower Corporation Presentation
Ann Brooks, Senior Manager- External Affairs- South Region, T-Mobile Presentation
Mark Madden, Regional Vice President - North American Utilities, Alcatel-Lucent Presentation

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Magnolia I/II
Networking Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Magnolia III
Pole Top Access and Pole Owner Rights – What Do Utilities Have to and Not Have to Do?

The FCC has established make ready deadlines and prohibited blanket bans on pole top access.  What does this mean for utilities as a practical matter?  This session will examine the reality of the new rules and how utilities must address wireless attachment requests, including requests for pole top access, going forward.  It will also discuss state regulations and what they say about wireless attachments, as well.

 

Russ Campbell, Partner, Balch & Bingham
Thomas Magee, Partner, Keller and Heckman, LLP
William Sill, Attorney, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Presentation
Natasha Ernst, Director of Government Relations, NextG Networks Inc. Presentation

2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Magnolia III
The View from the Regulators – How the FCC Sees Utilities

The FCC bases its rule making decisions on the record developed in the proceeding, which primarily comes from comments from the parties.  FCC experts will give a candid review of what they see from the utility companies who own poles, and which issues – such as access and rates–that they consider of most importance.  This is an opportunity to understand how the process works and to gain an understanding of the approach to take moving forward to be a more active participant in the process.

Jonathan Reel, Attorney Advisor- Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal Communications Commission
Jane Jackson, Associate Chief - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Federal Communications Commission

3:15 – 3:30 p.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Networking Break

3:30 – 4:45 p.m. Magnolia III
Carriers Use of Alliances and Partners
 
Working in the wireless business has changed. Wireless carriers are outsourcing much of their operations to large, national companies such as Ericsson, Alcatel Lucent and others.  These entities are becoming responsible for site identification, construction, operations and maintenance.  This will result in utilities having to form new working relationships and often times necessitate procedures for accepting purchase orders, contracts, Agreement language and accountabilities.  This session will address ways the carriers, outsourced vendors and utilities need to work together for successful implementation. 

 

John Vecsey, Consultant, Vecsey Smart Grid Consulting Presentation
Jeff Lang, Solutions Manager – Utility Automation, Sprint Emerging Solutions Group Presentation
Gaspar Wosa, Managed Service Engagement Director, Ericsson Presentation

5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Magnolia I/II
Networking Reception

Thursday, March 15, 2012
       
8:00 – 10:30 a.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Registration

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 9:05 a.m. Magnolia III
Opening Remarks 

9:05 – 10:05 a.m. Magnolia III
New Entrants into Collocation / Joint Use
 
With many of the recent broadband grants going to municipalities, public safety and health care providers utilities can expect attachment requests from a new breed of entrants. This session will help you to understand the nature of these requests, obligations you may have and what opportunities exist with these new entrants.

10:05 – 10:15 a.m. Magnolia Pre-Function
Networking Break

10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Magnolia III
2011 UtiliSite Survey Session

The UtiliSite Council will review and discuss the results of the 2011 survey, a benchmarking survey for the entire industry.  It’s a great opportunity to see how other utilities are handling the business and see areas where you might improve as well as identify areas that you excel at based on industry standards.

 

Joint Presentation

11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Magnolia III
Conclusions

This session will wrap up the conference, summarizing the lesson learned and providing some closing perspectives.

 

11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Magnolia III
Wrap-Up & Adjournment

12:15 – 3:00 p.m. Magnolia I/II
Utilisite Board Meeting – By Invitation Only