The City Attorney’s Energy and Telecommunications team provides legal support to the Public Utilities Commission, The Department of Telecommunications and Information Services, and other City departments on energy and telecommunications issues. Additionally, the team advises members of the Board of Supervisors on energy and telecommunications issues that affect the City. The team regularly represents the City in regulatory proceedings at state and federal agencies including the California Public Utilities Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Federal Communications Commission.
A large part of the team’s work concerns the PUC’s provision of electricity to City facilities, an issue that frequently results in contractual disputes and litigation with PG&E. The team also advises DTIS in its acquisition of communications technology and services for the City. Team members are integral to the City’s effort to establish a Citywide wifi network and continue to advise policymakers in their efforts to improve access to essential technologies for all San Franciscans.
This team also focuses its efforts on the many different aspects of public power, the protection of energy consumers, and legal avenues for addressing the concerns of residents and neighborhoods of San Francisco who are affected by the proximity of power plants or other energy facilities in the area.
Other issues that the team has recently worked on include: A settlement with Sprint/Nextel to ensure City access to radio frequencies and equipment necessary for continued public safety communications, negotiation of agreements with Lennar and PG&E to allow the City to provide electric service to the Hunters Point Shipyard development, and regulatory and contractual issues associated with the development of renewable energy projects such as solar, geothermal, and tidal/wave as well as energy efficiency projects.