Utility Broadband Trends Rob Thormeyer Senior Director Communications

Utility Broadband Trends Rob Thormeyer, Senior Director, Communications and Advocacy Utilities Technology Council utc. org

About UTC • Established in 1948 to advocate for electric utilities’ radio communications and telecom interests • Membership expanded to include all types of services: gas, water, electricity, pipelines by all kinds of utilities: investor-owned, cooperatively-organized, and government -owned • Utility communications networks must meet high standards for reliability, coverage, security • Commercial networks lack same reliability, resiliency utc. org

Utility Broadband Big Picture • Numerous utilities are deploying fiber networks to support internal operations/grid modernization • Many are leveraging existing infrastructure to provide broadband on either a wholesale or retail basis • Utilities awarded more than $260 million over 10 years in CAFII; and many more are participating in RDOF $20. 4 billion auction • Pre-COVID! utc. org

Utility Broadband Trends • Last Mile/Direct Service • Cooperative, public power utilities • Middle Mile • Dual-purpose: IOUs offering to lease new fiber investments for grid modernization to third-parties • Revenue can be shared with utility ratepayers • Smart-Meter Mile • Entergy utc. org

IOU Hurdles—Middle Mile • Restrictions imposed by existing easement and rights-of-way land use • Treatment of communications investments • Concerns over the regulatory structure • Differences between the utility and broadband industries utc. org

Rural Broadband Take Rates Utility B • 100 Mb: 75% take rate • 500 Mb: 17% take rate • 1 Gb: 8% take rate utc. org

Why Utility Broadband Matters Grid Modernization • Utilities are making these investments anyway • Smart Meters, Smart Grid Spectrum Crunch=Fiber • Federal policies limiting utility access to spectrum • IOU comms investments can be monetized, revenues shared with ratepayers/consumers Infrastructure • Electric utility infrastructure is already in place utc. org

Opportunities for Engagement • UTC Resources • Webinars • Virginia IOUs • Utility Broadband portal—www. utc. org/utility-broadbanddeployment • Pole-attachments portal—www. utc. org/utility-poles • UTC Journal • Interview-op/ed opportunities utc. org

Utility Broadband Networks* Alabama: Alabama Power/C-Spire Partnership, Central Alabama Electric Cooperative (Central Access), Cullman Electric Cooperative (Sprout Broadband), Huntsville Utilities, Sylacauga Utilities Board, Tombigbee Electric Cooperative (Freedom Fiber), North Alabama Electric Cooperative. • Arkansas: Clarksville Connected Utilities, Craighead Electric Cooperative (Empower), North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NEXT), Ouachita Electric Cooperative (Arkansas Rural Internet Service), Ozarks Electric Cooperative (Ozarks. GO), South Central Connect (South Central Arkansas Electric Cooperative) • California: Anza Electrical Cooperative (Connect. Anza), ONE Burbank (Burbank Water and Power), Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, San Luis Valley Rural Electric Coop (Ciello) • Colorado: Delta-Montrose Electric Association, DMEA (Elevate Fiber), Southeast Colorado Power Association (SECOM) • Florida: GRUCom Fiber Optics (Gainesville Regional Utilities) • Georgia: Habersham Electric Membership Cooperative (Trailwave) • Illinois: Illinois Electric Cooperative (Illinois. Net. com) • Indiana: Nine. Star Connect (Central Indiana Power), South Central Indiana Rural Electric Membership Corp. , (SCI Fiber), Tipmont Rural EMC, • Iowa: Cedar Falls Utilities, Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative (MVLink), Spencer Municipal Utilities, Waverly Utilities • Kentucky: OMU Fibernet (Owensboro Municipal Utilities) * Not exhaustive • utc. org

Utility Broadband Networks* Massachusetts: HG&E Telecom (Holyoke Gas & Electric Department), Shutesbury Municipal Light Plant, Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, Whip City Fiber (Westfield Gas & Electric), Windsor Municipal Light Plant • Michigan: Cloverland Electric Cooperative (Cloverland Electric Cooperative Internet), Great Lakes Energy (True. Stream), Midwest Connections (Midwest Energy Cooperative) • Missouri: Barry Electric Cooperative (go. BEC), Callaway Electric Cooperative (Callabyte Technology), Co. Mo Electric Cooperative (Co-Mo Connect), Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative, Ralls County Electric Cooperative, SEMO Electric Cooperative, Sho-Me Electric Cooperative (Sho-Me Technologies), United Electric Cooperative (United Fiber), Spring. Net (City Utilities of Springfield) • Minnesota: Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC Internet) • Mississippi: Entergy/C Spire partnership • New Mexico: Continental Divide Electric Cooperative (Red Bolt Broadband), Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (Kit Carson Internet) • Nevada: Valley Electric Cooperative Association (Valley Communications Association) • New York: Delaware County Electric Cooperative (Delaware County Broadband Initiative (DCBI)), OEConnect (Otsego Electric Cooperative) • North Carolina: French Broad Electric Membership Corporation (French Broad Fiber), Lumbee River EMC (Bluewave Communications) • Ohio: Consolidated Cooperative (Enlight) * Not exhaustive • utc. org

Utility Broadband Networks* • Oklahoma: Lake Region Electric Cooperative (Lake Region Technology & Communications), Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Bolt Fiber Optic Services) OEC Fiber (Oklahoma Electric Cooperative) • Oregon: Douglas Electric Cooperative (Douglas Fast Net), EUGNet (Eugene Water and Electric Board), Hood River Electric Cooperative (Communications Access Cooperative, CACHE) • South Carolina: Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative (Carolina Connect), Tri-County EMC, • South Dakota: Swiftel Communications (Brookings Municipal Utilities) • Tennessee: Bright. Ridge (Johnson City Power Board), EPB Fiber Optics, Gibson Electric Membership Corporation (Gibson Connect), Holston Electric Cooperative (Holston Connect), Jackson County REMC (Jackson Connect), Middle NU Connect (Newport Utilities), Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation, Light. TUBe (Tullahoma Utilities Board), Volunteer Electric Cooperative (VEC) • Texas: Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC Fiber), Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative (GCEC Telecom), Guadalupe Valley Electric Co-op (GVEC. net), Taylor Electric Cooperative (Access Fiber) • Wisconsin: Chippewa Falls Electric Cooperative (Ntera), • Virginia: BARC Electric Cooperative (BARC Connects), BVU Opti. Net (BVU Authority), Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (Firefly), Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, Prince George Electric Cooperative (Rural. Band), Roanoke Electric Cooperative; Dominion Energy Virginia-Prince George Electric Cooperative; Appalachian Power-Giga. Beam • Washington: Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO)(Rock Island Communications) * Not exhaustive utc. org

Questions? • Contact info • Brett. Kilbourne@utc. org • Rob. Thormeyer@utc. org • Sharla. artz@utc. org