Smart Grid

Smart grid is the convergence of broadband communications with the electric power grid, increasing efficiency, reliability and enabling better consumer control over power use. As such, smart grid integrates the worlds of electricity, communications, information technology, and device manufacturing. Wilkinson Barker attorneys uniquely understand this new frontier and are well situated to help clients plan and navigate through the emerging legal and regulatory challenges.

Wilkinson Barker’s corporate and transactional practice has on the ground experience in counseling investor-owned utility clients through every of phase of a smart grid and automated meter infrastructure (AMI) project including negotiating multi-vendor agreements; formulating interoperability, standards, privacy, security and ownership strategies; managing ongoing deployment issues; and coordinating with regulatory agencies on privacy, security, franchising, cost recovery and pricing issues. Given the firm’s experience in the energy, communications and information technology spheres, Wilkinson Barker attorneys can assist vendors in understanding the unique regulatory issues faced by their customer utilities when structuring relationships, technologies and products.

Successful deployments of smart grid technologies depend upon establishing an appropriate regulatory model, particularly at the state level on issues such as cost recovery, market structure, rate structure, system modularity and unbundling, privacy, ownership, intellectual property, standards and security. Wilkinson Barker attorneys know both the state and federal aspects of smart grid regulation, how they interrelate, and how to get a project done from transactional negotiations through the regulatory approval process.

Clients can also rely on the firm’s counsel to develop regulatory compliance plans and procedures with respect to the already established smart grid regulatory regimes. For example, smart grid technologies are subject to federal and state regulations designed to protect consumer privacy and ensure cybersecurity. Wilkinson Barker attorneys can evaluate compliance with the applicable regulations concerning the privacy of personal data and customer proprietary network information. In addition, Wilkinson Barker attorneys can assist investor-owned utilities and smart grid vendors navigate the issues related to cybersecurity issues and compliance with measures related to the protection of critical infrastructure information.