NARUC, NASUCA, EPRI, Utilities, Security Firms on Cyber
Andrew Minikowski is a staff attorney at the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel. He previously served as counsel to an environmental nonprofit organization and clerked on the Connecticut Supreme Court.
Hartford has a storied history of breakthrough innovations in manufacturing, technology, and public policy. The first written constitution in the Western Hemisphere, Samuel Colt's introduction of interchangeable parts into the modern assembly line, the world's first bicycle factory, the nation's first traffic safety laws, and the use of medical anesthetic all have their origins in Hartford.
The city recently found itself, once again, exploring solutions to one of our society's most important challenges: the protection of America's utility infrastructure. On October fifteenth, utility and energy professionals, utility commissioners, consumer advocates, security entrepreneurs, and other government officials and stakeholders convened at Upward Hartford, an energetic shared workspace for tech start-ups, for its inaugural Utility Infrastructure Security Conference.
Although a dreary New England damp reigned outside, the mood inside the conference was luminous as attendees from around the world arrived bright and early, with inquiring minds eager to explore the complexities of utility security.
NASUCA President and Connecticut Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz, NARUC President and Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Vice-Chair Jack Betkoski, and Upward Hartford CEO Shana Schlossberg opened the conference. They thanked those in attendance as well as highlighted the importance of the day's topic.