The Strategic management consulting firm of The Shpigler Group has been picked by the Utilities Telecom Council to lead the research and development of the Next Generation Utility Study.

Pearl River, New York -- April 3, 2007

The migration to the next generation of utility infrastructure will likely not mean new wires and pipes, but a wide variety of new information and communications technology (ICT) systems and applications. The move to 'smarter' systems that communicate with each other, with the customer and with the utility is the biggest issue facing utilities in the U.S. and the rest of the industrialized world for the next several years. As the representative of utilities' ICT systems for the past six decades, the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) is uniquely placed to help its members and other utilities take these important steps. The UTC has chosen The Shpigler Group to author an exciting new study, 'Next Steps to the Next Generation Utility'. This important study will examine:

• The trends in substation and distribution automation

• The technology options and leading vendor solutions

• The market and public policy drivers for utility investment

• Several case studies to illustrate the opportunities, challenges, and to describe the lessons learned and overall results of the projects

Both the UTC and The Shpigler Group find this research essential in the determination of how electrical utilities will address initiatives for demand response, increased operational efficiencies, and programs designed to give customers the ability to control their own power consumption.

'This study is just the first of many UTC projects that will focus on the utility of the future', said UTC President and CEO Bill Moroney. 'The Shpigler Group's targeted expertise in the field of utility telecom technology and business issues have been of benefit to our members before, and we're very pleased to be working with this group again for this major study.'

'We are very excited to be chosen b the UTC to be involved in such an important and groundbreaking study', stated Greg Solt, Director of Marketing and Business Development at The Shpigler Group. 'We are currently working with a number of clients that have identified the need of implementing these initiatives and this experience will serve to enhance the quality of the report for the industry as a whole.'

The findings of this study will be presented at UTC's Annual Conference, UTC EXPO 2007 in Austin, Texas on May 6-9, 2007.