Nine Utilities Launch New UtiliSite Council

Posted June 12th, 2008 by kristy.weinshel

September 26, 2007

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Kristy Weinshel
202.833.6815
kristy.weinshel@utc.org

Nine Utilities Launch New UtiliSite Council

Washington, D.C. –Utilities, using their robust network of facilities and fiber infrastructure are in the unique position to supply reliable support for commercial wireless carriers in the areas of antenna siting, backhaul and construction. The UtiliSite Council, a subsidiary of the Utilities Telecom Council, is a new organization dedicated to sharing best practices and combined marketing efforts for utilities that provide these services to commercial wireless carriers. Through the UtiliSite Council, member utilities will work together to help commercial carriers accelerate the deployment of wireless services in communities all across the country. Members of the UtiliSite Council have over 36,000 antenna sites developed on electric transmission and distribution facilities available to use. The UtiliSite Council members include:

• Duke Energy Corporation (www.duke-energy.com) Serving: North Carolina and South Carolina
• FirstEnergy Corp (www.firstenergycorp.com) Serving : New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania,
• Gainesville Regional Utilities (www.gru.com) Serving: Florida
• JEA (www.jea.com) Serving: Florida
• Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division (www.mlgw.org) Serving: Tennessee
• Portland General Electric Company www.portlandgeneral.com) Serving: Oregon
• Southern Telecom Inc. (www.southern-telecom.com) Serving: Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi
• SRP Telecom (www.srpnet.com/telecom/) Serving: Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (www.tva.gov) Serving: Tennessee

"This organization represents a niche in our marketplace that has a lot of potential to grow," noted UtiliSite Council Chairman Allen Garrison, who is also Wireless Manager at SRP Telecom in Phoenix. "Already a significant source of antenna sites in North America, we expect utility co-location and the UtiliSite Council to grow significantly in 2008."

The UtiliSite Council will make its debut at the Wireless Infrastructure Show, PCIA's Annual Conference, October 1-4 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. Those interested in more information are encouraged to visit the UtiliSite Council in Booth 412 or on the Web at www.utilisite.utc.org.

UtiliSite Council
The UtiliSite Council is an organization of utilities that offer support services for commercial wireless carriers including antenna siting, backhaul and construction. Utility facilities and fiber networks are ultra-reliable, as they were built originally as a part of our critical energy infrastructure. Members’ facilities and networks touch virtually every corner of every community we serve because they represent critical infrastructure. For more information, visit www.utilisite.utc.org. The UtiliSite Council is a subsidiary of the Utilities Telecom Council.

Utilities Telecom Council
The Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) is a global trade association dedicated to creating a favorable business, regulatory, and technological environment for entities that own, manage, or provide critical telecommunications systems in support of core services. Founded in 1948, UTC has evolved into a dynamic organization that represents the broad communications interests of electric, gas, and water utilities; natural gas pipelines; other critical infrastructure entities; and other industry stakeholders. UTC’s new UtiliSite Council affiliate serves the interest of utilities involved in the carrier support market by helping utilities to develop best practices and procedures to speed market responsiveness. Visit www.utc.org for more information on the UTC or its affiliate, the UtiliSite Council.