Jeff Bingaman: “section 405 of division A of this conference report involves an amendment to section 1304 of the Energy Independence and…”

“section 405 of division A of this conference report involves an amendment to section 1304 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which is under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, of which I am the chair. It is a provision that deals with the standards and protocols that will be used in Smart Grid demonstration projects. With respect to these demonstration projects, the conference report states that the Secretary of Energy "shall require as a condition of receiving funding under this subsection that demonstration projects utilize open protocols and standards (including Internet-based protocols and standards) if available and appropriate." This is a clarification of language originally passed by the House of Representatives on the subject. It makes clear that all protocols and standards used by Smart Grid demonstration projects must be open. Some of those open protocols and standards may involve sending information over the Internet. Others may use other means of data transfer.”