CUB highlights technology benefits over broadband
The deal Clinton Utilities Board has with cable providers prevents the utility from providing its own broadband service, but the benefits outweigh that cost.
That’s the message that Greg Fay has for the people of Anderson County in light of The Courier News’ recent article “Why CUB doesn’t have a fiber Broadband Network,” and statements from Clinton City Council Member Jim McBride.
Fay described a non-compete deal in 2002 with three different cable providers to be able to use their “dark fiber” optic cables for multiple programs that help the utility run power to customers more efficiently without having to pay for its own cables through its ratepayers.
Fay referred to the CUB programs these cables help as “cutting-edge technology.”
He said Knoxville Utilities Board has been slower to catch up with these developments due to needing to lay down its own fiber cables.
First, he listed advanced metering infrastructure, which allows for utilities to watch electric use in real time
KUB got this capability in 2020, while CUB had it in 2005.
Second, he listed the ability to monitor power from smaller power generators known as Distributed Energy Resources such as, in CUB’s case, the Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm, in order to reduce peak demand loads.
CUB got this capability in 2000.
Third, he spoke of Dynamic Voltage Regulation, ways of dealing with irregularities in voltage.
CUB, he said, had two such programs, one from 2005 offering $17.8 million n savings to date, and another starting in 2011 offering $9.6 million in savings to date.
Fourth, he spoke of Demand Response devices, which reduce peak demand loads on electric infrastructure.
CUB has used these since 2011 to realize more than $3 million in savings to date.
Another such technology is Fault Location, Isolation and Service Restoration, an automated method of restoring power quickly to customers during outages.
CUB has had such systemwide coverage since 2016, while KUB plans for only 30% of system coverage by 2030.
“We’ve got this contract that provides us with millions of dollars of cable that we don’t have to put up,” Fay said regarding the fiber-optic cables helping CUB implement these technologies. “It saves us millions of dollars.”
KUB, by contrast, has had to raise its rates 3% annually for all its ratepayers from 2022 to 2025 to help with the cost of its fiber cables.
KUB is, as a byproduct to setting up fiber cables for these new services, offering its own broadband service competing with other providers.
Fay said CUB would not be able to compete with other providers well on price or availability for broadband, only possibly on service.
He also said 5G providers will offer even faster internet without having to lay down as many cables.
