Citing concerns over customer privacy and the potential for increased costs for ratepayers, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) voted to end a three year investigation into the possible adoption of a new governing process that would allow third parties access to customer energy usage data, and denied a proposed warrant process, offered by certain stakeholders, for non-Retail Electric Supplier (RES) third-parties to access customer Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) interval meter data.

A proposed order that recommended denying the proposed process had been first reported by RetailEnergyX.com (see details here)

On March 15, 2017, the ICC initiated Docket No. 17-0123 to provide interested parties with the opportunity to devise a process by which Non-Retail Electric Suppliers (RES) could warrant that they possess the requisite authority from the customer to obtain access to that customer’s specific interval electricity usage data and to address appropriate safeguards and processes. An earlier docket, 14-0507, yielded no agreement among the stakeholders.

"Although the Commission acknowledges the potential benefits of data sharing via recent grid modernization, parties raised significant concerns regarding the Joint Process Proposal introduced by certain stakeholders. Specifically, parties argued that the Joint Process Proposal did not represent a true warrant process and, moreover, would have shifted costs onto captive ratepayers," the ICC said in a news release

In brief, under the proposal (JPP), third parties would obtain customer consent for AMI data and then submit a request to access the date to the utility. The utility would send a notification to the customer to confirm the customer has authorized the release of their interval energy usage data to the third-party identified in the request and is directing the utility to share the interval usage data with the third-party. As proposed, customers must affirmatively respond by one of the methods described above to approve the data sharing within 15 days or the request expires.

The ICC found that it has not been shown that the JPP would increase data sharing, while imposing a cost on ratepayers

"[The] JPP shifts the burden of obtaining authorization to the utility at ratepayer expense with recovery through the utilities’ rates. Because the Commission is not convinced that the JPP will increase customer usage of AMI data, it cannot authorize recovery of these expenses through the utilities’ rates. It is not at all clear that the espoused benefits will materialize. In this case, it is evident that the JPP does not provide a benefit for all ratepayers, and indeed, may only provide a benefit for very few ratepayers," the ICC said in the order

ICC Chairman Carrie Zalewski said, "The Commission understands this to be a vital issue for the continued evolution of the retail market. In order for the Illinois Retail Energy Market to evolve, and for Illinois to reach the potential espoused in FEJA (Future Energy Jobs Act) it is incumbent upon the Commission to soberly review technologies and policies that support retail market evolution while protecting retail market customer privacy. The joint proposed process does neither. Instead, I commend the ALJ (Administrative Law Judge) for her tempered and balanced Order and agree with the Order as written."

"Continuing the evolution of the retail market products and services is a paramount concern to this Commission. Access to customer data, to borrow a phrase from telecomm, represents the last mile in serving retail customers. The instant docket does nothing to further this evolution. The instant docket only serves to weaken consumer privacy issues," Zalewski said

Currently in Illinois, Non-RES third-parties can access Advanced Metering Information (AMI) data when a customer provides authorization to the utility that releases the customer’s usage information via a web portal called “Green Button Connect.”

The Final Order for Docket No. 17-0123 can be found here.

Tags:
Illinois   Big data   AMI  

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