The Role of Communications Networks in Utility Infrastructure Security
In early March of this year, a guyed cell phone tower in a remote field in rural Nebraska came crashing to the ground. According to the Kansas City Star, the tower supported consumer wireless communications infrastructure plus local schools, the sheriff’s office and fire department – Inside Towers reports all it took was “intentional damage” to the guide wire anchor to set a complete system failure into motion. Like much of the nation’s communications and utility infrastructure, the tower equipment (which will cost an estimated $575K to replace) was by design, built far away from traffic, including potential witnesses to vandalism and acts of terror.
Politically-motivated attacks on electrical substations, transmission, and distribution lines are on the uptick as well. News site Insider reviewed data by the Department of Energy (DOE), citing that attacks on the nation’s power grid spiked 72% in 2022, including well publicized attacks in North Carolina and Washington State. “According to Department of Energy statistics, human attacks were responsible for 171 ‘electric disturbance incidents’ around the country in 2022, compared with 99 in 2021,” Insider reported. “(Our) review of the data counted incidents that the Department of Energy labeled as the result of vandalism, sabotage, actual physical attack, cyber event, and suspicious activity.”
So what can be done to protect our nation’s vital communications and power infrastructure? Network communication providers like SAC Wireless and our utility communications division, SAC EDG, are on the front lines of cybersecurity and network protections to prevent online hackers from seizing control of local and regional service providers – that is a subject we’ll tackle in-depth in a future post. Today we’ll talk about protective measures to deter crime and document attacks on physical assets.
While it is impractical for public utilities or wireless carriers to place security personnel 24/7 at every substation, transmission tower, and distribution pole in the nation, it is possible to upgrade the deterrents to crimes at these remote locations. Low latency, highly available (HA) and reliable (HA) data transmission offered by PLTE networks enable a wide variety of deterrents that were never before practical, affordable, or logistically possible – including HD camera monitoring, motion sensing lights and alarms, license plate readers, and the ability to track movement (road vehicles, ATVs, foot traffic) not only at the site location, but around the network to better document the routes bad actors take to and from an act of sabotage. Wireless PLTE enables security devices to be placed just about anywhere, especially places where wired connections are impractical. Wireless backhaul enables a variety of local and cloud storage and streaming options, with the bandwidth needed to deliver clear images. Ideally, as more acts of terror are thwarted and/or arrests are made, remote utility and communication network assets will no longer be considered easy targets.
Site security is only one of many benefits PLTE technology brings to public utilities and the communities they serve. Network Consolidation, Wind and Solar Grid Modernization, AMI (advanced metering applications), and FCP (falling conductor protection) are among the reasons utilities coast to coast are exploring communication network upgrades and sharing best practices.
If you’re interested in learning more about how PLTE innovations can impact your business and best serve your community, give us a call.