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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 28 (Monday, February 11, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9678-9679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03021]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Multi-stakeholder Process To Develop a Voluntary Code of Conduct 
for Smart Grid Data Privacy

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, 
Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Electricity Delivery 
and Energy Reliability (DOE OE) will convene the first meeting of the 
smart grid data privacy multistakeholder process concerning the 
development of an Voluntary Code of Conduct for utility and third 
parties providing consumer energy use services.

DATES: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Eastern 
Standard Time).

ADDRESSES: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Commission 
Meeting Room, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    The meeting will also be webcast. There will be an opportunity for 
stakeholders viewing the webcast to participate remotely in the 
meeting. Please register your intent to participate at 
www.smartgrid.gov/privacy. Instructions for remote participation will 
be sent to registrants and posted on the Web site www.smartgrid.gov/privacy seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Lightner, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, 1000 
Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585; telephone (202) 586-8130; 
email eric.lightner@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background:

[[Page 9679]]

    On January 31, 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of 
Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (DOE OE) hosted the Smart 
Grid Privacy Workshop \1\ to facilitate a dialog among key industry 
stakeholders. On February 23, 2012, the White House released the 
report, Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for 
Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital 
Economy \2\ (Privacy Blueprint). The Privacy Blueprint outlines a 
multi-stakeholder process for developing voluntary codes of conduct 
that, if adopted by businesses, would instill consumer confidence. In 
response to workshop findings and in support of the Privacy Blueprint, 
DOE OE and the Federal Smart Grid Task Force will facilitate a 
multistakeholder process to develop a Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) 
for utilities and third parties providing consumer energy use services. 
The goal of the process is to develop a common set of practices that 
will provide privacy protections for consumers with regard to access, 
use, and sharing of electricity usage and related data and will provide 
regulators and decision makers with a resource for evaluating potential 
privacy regulations and practices.
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    \1\ DOE Smart Grid Data Privacy Workshop Report is available at 
http://www.smartgrid.gov/document/us_department_energy_smart_grid_privacy_workshop_summary_report.
    \2\ Privacy Blueprint is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/privacyfinal.pdf.
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    Matters to be considered: The meeting on February 26, 2013 will be 
the first in a series of DOE-convened multi-stakeholder discussions 
concerning the development of a VCC and will engage stakeholders in an 
open, transparent process. The objectives of the meeting are to (1) 
promote discussion among stakeholders regarding a proposed VCC outline, 
including the types of data to be covered and (2) establish procedural 
rules for developing the VCC. Additional information can be found at 
www.smartgrid.gov/privacy.
    Audience: Stakeholders who may be interested in participating 
include--but are not limited to--utilities, consumer advocates, 
regulators, third party providers, building energy managers, academics, 
and home energy auditors.
    Other Information: The meeting is open to the public and the press. 
Attendees should arrive at least one-half hour prior to the start of 
the meeting to facilitate entry to the FERC building. Participants will 
be required to show valid, government-issued photo identification upon 
arrival. Foreign nationals must contact Eric Lightner at (202) 586-8130 
or eric.lightner@hq.doe.gov at least seven (7) business days prior to 
the meeting in order to provide the necessary clearance information and 
must present valid, government-issued photo identification upon 
arrival. This meeting is physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Eric Lightner at (202) 586-8130 or 
eric.lightner@hq.doe.gov at least seven (7) business days prior to the 
meeting.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2013.
Patricia A. Hoffman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-03021 Filed 2-8-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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