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News Guide: FCC ‘net neutrality’ vote and what it means - The Washington Post

Associated Press

The FCC put the Internet in the same regulatory camp as the telephone, regulating it like a public utility. That means whatever company provides your Internet connection, even if it’s to your phone, will now have to act in the public interest and not do anything that might be considered “unjust or unreasonable.” If it doesn’t, you can complain and the FCC can step in to investigate.

Exelon backs EPA Clean Power Plan, wants price on carbon | Utility Dive

By Robert Walton | February 23, 2015

Officials at Exelon say the EPA's new carbon rules could help modernize the grid and will not upset energy markets or put too much strain on consumers.

Columbia, SC: Scott: Shouldn’t everyone who uses phone service pay for it? SC bill would require that | Opinion Columns | The State

A bill in the state Senate, S.277, corrects this inequity and strengthens the system we all must access. It updates laws that were passed before the technological revolution.

One of the bill’s most important elements is to keep costs down by capping the Universal Service Fund at $40 million. Today, it’s capped at $170 million. So depending upon their communication choices, consumers may see a slight net decrease or increase, or no change in the fee they pay to support the fund.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2015/02/22/4000254/scott-shouldnt-everyone-who-uses.html#storylink=cpy

NARUC meetings: Do we need a carbon price to comply with the EPA's Clean Power Plan? | Utility Dive

By Gavin Bade | February 17, 201

There are really two routes for states to take when thinking about implementing the emissions reductions mandated by the Clean Power Plan, according to Asim Haque, vice-chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). The first option is to cap carbon emissions from each individual power plant. But that route is logistically difficult and could cause reliability issues, Haque said. 

The second option is to identify a carbon price for regional electric markets. This wouldn’t be a cap and trade system like the regional greenhouse gas initiative (RGGI), Haque stressed. Rather, generators would have to factor in the price of carbon when they bid into energy markets, making carbon-intensive energy more expensive than low carbon resources.

Colleton Solar Farm generates enough energy to power 300 homes in 1st year

By Liz Segrist
lsegrist@scbiznews.com
Published Feb. 2, 2015

Data indicate that the tracking panels that follow the sun generate power for about 3 1/2 hours longer than the fixed panels during the longest days of summer. Nearly two hours of that time is electricity delivered during the afternoon peak of power demand.

The head of the FCC just proposed the strongest net neutrality rules eve

By Brian Fung

In a Wired op-ed, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced he wants to regulate Internet providers with the most aggressive tool at his disposal: Title II of the Communications Act. In addition to covering fixed broadband providers such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable, the draft rules would cover wireless providers such as T-Mobile and Sprint. The rules would also make speeding up or slowing down Web traffic — a tactic known as prioritization — illegal. And it would ban the blocking of Web traffic outright.

SCANA closes on $492.9M sale of pipeline subsidiary

Dominion paid $492.9 million for the pipeline company, which owns and operates nearly 1,500 miles of federally regulated interstate natural gas pipeline in South Carolina and southeastern Georgia.

Google could become a wireless carrier. Here’s what that means for you. - The Washington Post

By Brian Fung January 22 at 9:29 AM

The company hasn't confirmed anything, but reports suggest that Google wants to offer its own brand of cellular service by partnering with Sprint and T-Mobile, the nation's third- and fourth-largest carriers, respectively. This means you'd buy minutes and data from Google, but it would all ride over the other two companies' pipes.

The Smart, Angry Home - The New Yorker

BY EMILY ANTHES

When Ashley was named as the wastrel, her imaginary roommates were incensed, rating their anger as a 5.19, on average. They were likelier than their counterparts in the other groups to favor some form of punishment; nearly a third said that they’d ask Ashley to pay a larger share.

EPA delays landmark climate rule | TheHill

By Timothy Cama - 01/07/15 01:27 PM EST

The EPA now plans to finalize its rules for newly built power plants, existing plants and modified plants at the same time — in mid-summer, the agency said Wednesday.

Energy Efficiency Financing Tools For Cities And Governments

January 6th, 2015 by Zachary Shahan 

The report breaks down the various financing tools local governments can use to stimulate more energy efficiency upgrades according to whether or not they are market-based tools or financing tools that come directly from local governments. The first category includes: equipment lease financing, energy performance contracts (EPCs), energy services agreements (ESAs), and metered energy efficiency transaction structures (MEETs). The second category includes: energy efficiency investment corporations (EEICs); energy efficiency loan programs; loan loss reserves, interest rate buy-downs, and loan guarantees; property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing; on-bill repayment and financing; tax increment financing; and property tax abatements.

A strike against rent-seeking - George Will

George Will

Published Jan. 1, 2015

Bruner sued, arguing three things: that the CON process violates the Constitution's equal protection clause because it is a "competitors' veto" that favors existing companies over prospective rivals; that the statute's requirements ("inadequate," "convenience," "necessity") are unconstitutionally vague; and that the process violates the 14th Amendment's protections of Americans' "privileges or immunities," including the right to earn a living.

The next big turning point in the net neutrality debate - The Washington Post

By Brian Fung December 30

On Tuesday, industry associations representing smaller telecom companies and start-ups asked the FCC to apply Title II of the Communications Act to Internet providers. Title II has become a key flash point in the net neutrality debate; advocates say that part of the law, which also governs more traditional telephone service, would give the FCC the strongest possible powers to make sure Internet providers treat all Web traffic equally. Opponents argue Title II is unnecessary and could deter Internet providers from spending money on further network upgrades.

Here’s how far every Tesla Model S can go on a single charge - The Washington Post

By Brian Fung December 30 at 5:46 PM

Most actual drivers aren't going to get anywhere near the kind of fuel economy described in the far left part of the chart above; you're just not going to be driving at 40 miles an hour on flat highways all the time. In EPA tests, the company came away with results more in the 200- to 300-mile range.

New Republican-led panel will focus on energy and environment - The Washington Post

By Josh Hicks December 30 at 6:00 AM

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), future chair of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced that he would form the new panel to watch over the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the departments of agriculture, energy and interior.

SC sets national net metering example - FierceEnergy

 By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

South Carolina is setting a national, and unprecedented, example with an agreement not to seek any solar specific charges until 2021, according to The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC), a national group that helped with the negotiations.

New SC net metering agreement: Full retail rate, no solar fees | Utility Dive

South Carolina is an outlier when it comes to solar regulation. As Utility Dive reported last month, the state is doing something few others are — devising a regulatory framework for high solar penetration before it reaches them. 

COLUMBIA, S.C.: Conservation groups, SC utilities reach solar net metering agreement | Business | The State

BY RODDIE BURRIS

rburris@thestate.comDecember 11, 2014 

Under the settlement, residential and commercial utility customers who install solar panels on their rooftops before 2021, when the settlement agreement expires, will receive full retail credit for any excess power that flows back onto the electric grid. They also will be eligible to remain on this rate until Dec. 31, 2025 without any solar-specific charges or fees.

The utilities are to file, within 60 days of the settlement’s approval by the Public Service Commission, additional solar programs and incentives with the PSC designed to spur investments in residential and commercial solar use.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/12/11/3868426_conservation-groups-sc-utilities.html?sp=/99/101/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

Commissioner Elam Appointed to the Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services

Public Service Commission of South Carolina Commissioner Elliott F. Elam, Jr. has been appointed to the Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services. Commissioner Elam's appointment fills the position vacated by the Honorable Geoff Why, former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable.