The decision has been made to transition to MPSCS; there have already been layoffs at the service contractor for the radio system. The transition will be completed within 2 years from this past fall at maximum.
From a cost perspective to Consumers, it makes sense; the existing system was ancient and needed replacement.
However, one has to question how a system licensed by the Commission as a public safety system, and operated at Michigan state general fund expense (per-radio mike fees were eliminated a couple of years ago) can be used to support a commercial entity's activities. Yes, there is a safety issue involved with electrical and gas transmission....but how is it that a system supported with tax dollars will be used for dispatching an employee to your premises to disconnect or reconnect service for nonpayment of a bill?
They moved into it really elegantly....first it was DTE, with radios used only to support gas operations under the cover of "public safety"....Consumers watched and learned, and somewhere there were some winks and nods.
Where will the line be drawn with the 'public safety' stretch? Should pipeline companies, fuel trucking companies, explosive demolition companies, fireworks contractors, and FedEx/UPS carrying hazmats be provided access to the system?
Consumers provision of tower sites as some sort of a "win" for the MPSCS is hogwash; the vast majority of the 62 Consumers tower sites duplicate existing MPSCS coverage, and the MPSCS is virtually never at a disadvantage to use public lands for tower construction.
The entire deal stinks from the perspective of the separation of commercial and governmental activities, and the cost distributions involved.