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Committee declines to advance AMI/advanced‑metering timing bill; lawmakers asked utilities for planning details instead
Summary
An amendment that would have required utilities to report compliance plans related to FERC Order 2222 and advanced metering received mixed reactions. The committee voted to ITL House Bill 6‑92 after utilities said the bill overlapped active regional processes and could impose costly mandates.
The Science, Technology and Energy Committee took up House Bill 6‑92, which would have required electric distribution utilities under PUC jurisdiction to report by Nov. 1 on their compliance with FERC Order 2222 and to provide status information about interval/advanced meter (AMI) capability and the state of back‑end systems needed for wide‑scale distributed energy participation.
Representative Amanda McGee, sponsor of a pared‑back amendment, told the committee the change was intended to get a clear timeline for when utilities would deploy AMI functionality and back‑office upgrades that support distributed energy resources, load settlement and advanced market participation. "We should be able to ask and get that answered," McGee said, describing the amendment as a request for planning information rather than a mandate to spend.
Eversource representative Michael Licata said the amendment mixed distinct issues — FERC Order 2222 (wholesale market access for aggregated distributed resources) and local load‑settlement practices — and urged caution. Licata noted that the regional ISO/NE implementation work is ongoing and that the utilities have been developing feasibility studies and AMI transition plans; Eversource had completed a feasibility study and recommended a transition start around 2029–2030. Licata warned that findings written into statute can be cited in future regulatory proceedings and cautioned against premature policy directives.
Committee decision and vote
After considering testimony that the bill would potentially require large system changes and overlap with ongoing regional processes, the committee adopted a motion of ITL on House Bill 6‑92. Vote: 10–8 in executive session.
Why it matters
Advanced metering infrastructure and improved meter data capabilities are central to integrating distributed energy resources and enabling some of the functions contemplated by recent federal orders. Lawmakers said they wanted better information on timelines and system readiness; utilities said that they have existing planning work (AMI feasibility studies, back‑office upgrade scopes) and that regional implementation details remain in flux.
What’s next
The committee majority recommended ITL, but members and stakeholders suggested study‑level follow up to gather clearer, consistent reporting on AMI transition plans and timeline specifics that could inform legislation in a future session.
