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Public Utilities

Commentary

Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection

Intentionally shutting off power may be a practical way to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires. But is it worth the risks? Until more thoughtful and comprehensive decisions are made, planned power outages need to be planned better.

Oct 28, 2019
Commentary

How to Ensure Quality Drinking Water Service for All? One Option Is Fewer Utilities.

California's Human Right to Water Bill declares that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water.” One clear barrier to reaching this target is the sheer number of small water utilities that pose service sustainability and public health risks to their customers.

Mar 26, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Regulating Risks Within Complex Sociotechnical Systems: Evidence From Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Standards

One of the first empirical studies of the effects of mandatory cybersecurity regulations for critical infrastructure.

Nov 27, 2018
Commentary

Staying Cool as the Globe Warms

Studies suggest that the heat of the future will exceed humans' capacity to cope. But taking advantage of smart technology, inexpensive traditional methods of cooling that require little energy use, and innovative energy-efficient technologies could provide a sustainable path forward in heat-challenged regions.

Apr 23, 2018
Commentary

How Federal Policy Could Help Water and Wastewater Utilities

A targeted approach could help the federal government address the root causes of infrastructure problems more effectively than a spending initiative that simply spreads money around with the hope that more spending might do some good.

Jan 16, 2018
News Release

News Release

Not Everything Is Broken with U.S. Transportation and Water Infrastructure; Improved Targeted Strategies Needed to Fix ...

Transportation and water infrastructure funding and finance in the United States are not nearly as dire as some believe, but a national consensus on infrastructure priorities, accompanied by targeted spending and selected policy changes, is needed.

Dec 5, 2017
Research Brief

Fixing U.S. Infrastructure's Ills Requires an Accurate Diagnosis

This brief examines how the federal government can better promote investment in and maintenance of U.S. transportation and water infrastructure.

Dec 5, 2017
Report

Not Everything Is Broken with U.S. Transportation and Water Infrastructure

Transportation and water infrastructure funding and finance in the United States are not nearly as dire as some believe. But a national consensus on infrastructure priorities, accompanied by targeted spending and selected policy changes, is needed.

Dec 5, 2017
Commentary

Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right

Demand for rooftop solar panels is soaring among U.S. homeowners. Meanwhile, states are struggling to adapt a 20th-century electrical grid—and the corresponding cost structure for electricity rates—to this 21st-century reality. This is causing confusion and uncertainty.

Jul 24, 2017
Commentary

Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water

Without an aggressive long-term strategy for replacing service lines, and collaboration among the water authority, public officials, and residents, lead in Pittsburgh's water will persist.

Jul 3, 2017
Report

Pittsburgh's Options to Address Lead in Its Water

Pittsburgh is struggling to manage and improve its aging water system, with a focus on elevated lead levels for many customers. What steps could help steer the city toward a permanent solution and protect future generations?

Jun 27, 2017
Commentary

Investing in Infrastructure? Don't Forget the Electric Grid

Leaving the future of America's electricity grid to chance should not be an option. To maximize the potential benefits of a multibillion-dollar smart grid investment, a closer examination of technology and policy is needed.

Dec 7, 2016
News Release

News Release

Twenty Percent of U.S. Households View Landline Telephones as an Important Communication Choice

The predicted death of the household landline telephone in the United States may be premature. While most Americans like their cell phones, twenty percent of American households still think having a landline phone is important.

Nov 17, 2016
Report

Twenty Percent of U.S. Consumers Still Consider Landlines Important

The predicted death of the landline telephone may be premature. Twenty percent of American households surveyed still think having a landline telephone is most important. Among the majority, mobile telephone service was considered the most important, followed by fixed internet service.

Nov 17, 2016
Report

Policy Options for Better Service Outcomes from the Future Electric Grid: A Stakeholder Symposium

This symposium's goal was to identify important policy questions related to the present and future electric power grid system. This convening aimed to identify problem areas that could benefit from stakeholder-driven objective research.

Apr 18, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

Community Effects on Elderly Health: Evidence from CHARLS National Baseline

There is increasing interest in neighborhood or area effects on health and individual development. China, due to its vast regional variations in health infrastructure and geography and relative immobility of older residents, provides a rare opportunity to study such effects.

Feb 4, 2016
Commentary

What Durban Can Teach Detroit: Getting Customers to Pay Their Water Bills

South Africa is proving that governments in poor cities can provide water and collect payment without turning off the water spigot. Detroit and Baltimore might consider exploring models like this that have been successfully tested in even more challenging settings.

Jul 29, 2015
Essay

How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live

A modernized, “smart” grid could change how much you pay for electricity, where it comes from, and how likely you are to lose it in a summer storm. But has the reality of the smart grid kept pace with the promise?

Apr 27, 2015
Commentary

The Clash of Internet Civilizations: Why Neither Side Should Prevail

The debate over net neutrality pits two opposing philosophies against each other — one pushing for the continued evolution of the Internet as an open information superhighway, the other asserting that the Internet's evolution needs to take more account of the many ways it is and will be used.

Apr 10, 2015
Report

The Adoption of New Smart-Grid Technologies

A smart grid for the United States could have large-scale benefits. There are technological, economic, and regulatory barriers, but new policies or changes to policy could help overcome them.

Jan 15, 2015

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RAND Topic:
Public Utilities

Topic Synonyms:
Utilities

Research conducted by

RAND Social and Economic Well-Being