ICC lets ComEd delay smart meters until 2015

The Illinois Commerce Commission on Wednesday approved ComEd's request to delay the installation of smart meters until 2015 but said it will revisit the issue in April when the utility is scheduled to file a progress report on the program.

Under massive grid modernization legislation, ComEd was supposed to begin installing smart meters this year, but the ICC cut the funds ComEd was expecting to receive under the program and the utility said it could no longer afford to install the meters that quickly. The two sides are battling in court in a process that could take years.

An administrative law judge, as well as several consumer advocacy groups, had recommended the commission not accept the delay.

Jim Chilsen, spokesman for Citizens Utility Board, said a delay is not in the best interest of consumers. According to a ComEd commissioned analysis, the delay means consumers will miss out on approximately $187 million in savings that could come from the program over 20 years and will pay $5 million more for the smart meters. Chilsen said that CUB, which had urged the commission not to delay the program, will review the order once it becomes available and that it could seek to appeal the decision before the Illinois Appeals Court.

Other aspects of smart grid installation are under way, including "smart switches" used to automatically isolate outages and reroute power to customers. However, smart meters are the most consumer facing aspect smart grid and let the utility track on a computer what customers lack power and those who have had power restored.

Without the smart meters, customers must alert ComEd to an outage. Other parts of smart grid allow ComEd to see where the power is out in general.

The smart meters were a major component in ComEd's pitch to the state legislature for massive regulatory overhaul legislation that streamlines the rate-making processto give ComEd faster and more frequent rate hikes as it undertakes the multibillion-dollar grid modernization.

jwernau@tribune.com | Twitter @littlewern

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Hamstring strain could sideline Urlacher for season

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher is expected to miss the next three games and possibly the rest of the regular season with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, according to two sources familiar with his injury status.

Urlacher hopes to be fully recovered for the playoffs, provided the Bears remain in good postseason standing. A return for the Dec. 30 regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions is a possibility.

The eight-time Pro Bowler strained his right hamstring on the second-to-last play of Sunday’s 23-17 overtime loss to the Seahawks.  Urlacher heard a "pop" as he chased Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson near the sideline. It was a non-contact injury.

Urlacher declined to discuss the injury or his playing status when reached by the Tribune. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday, which confirmed the Grade 2 strain.

Urlacher has started in all 16 games in nine of the past 12 seasons.

After Sunday’s loss, a team source indicated the Bears needed to prepare to play without Urlacher "for a while." Nick Roach took over at middle linebacker for the final play of overtime as Geno Hayes slid over to Roach’s spot at strong-side linebacker.

This week’s game against the Vikings would be Roach’s fourth career start at middle linebacker. The Bears also had linebacker Dom DeCicco at Halas Hall on Tuesday and re-signed him for depth at the position.

If the playoffs started today, the 8-4 Bears would be the fifth seed against the fourth-seeded and NFC East-leading Giants (7-5) on wild-card weekend Jan. 5-6. Such a scenario would give Urlacher a month to fully recover.

The 34-year-old Urlacher’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he still has a desire to play at least two more seasons depending on his health. He entered the 2012 campaign recovering from a severe left knee injury sustained during last year’s season finale at Minnesota. Urlacher sprained his medial collateral ligament and partially sprained posterior cruciate ligament. He underwent multiples procedures to repair the damage.

General manager Phil Emery wouldn't commit to re-signing the future Hall of Famer and said any contract offers would be based on performance. Urlacher not only leads the team in tackles with 88, but he also has an interception return for a touchdown, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

vxmcclure@tribune.com

Twitter@vxmcclure23

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U.S. fails to win early limit on Net controls at global gathering

DUBAI/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. and Canadian proposal to protect the Internet from new international regulation has failed to win prompt backing from other countries, setting up potentially tough negotiations to rewrite a telecom treaty.

The idea, also supported by Europe, would limit the International Telecommunication Union's rules to only telecom operators and not Internet-based companies such as Google Inc and Facebook Inc.

That could reduce the prospective impact of efforts by other countries including Russia and some in the Middle East and Africa to obtain more powers to govern the Internet through the ITU, an arm of the United Nations. Those efforts, slated for discussion next week, could make Net anonymity - or the ability to remain anonymous online - more difficult to maintain and could bolster censorship, critics say.

"We want to make sure (the rewritten ITU treaty) stays focused squarely on the telecom sector," said U.S. Ambassador Terry Kramer. "We thought we should deal with that up-front."

Kramer had been hoping that a committee comprising representatives from six regional bodies would give quick approval to the American request on Tuesday. But that failed to happen.

An ITU spokesman said late on Tuesday that the talks were continuing and that the issue would only return to the main policy-making body on Friday.

About 150 nations are gathered in Dubai to renegotiate the ITU rules, which were last updated in 1988, before the Internet and mobile phones transformed communications.

The 12-day ITU conference, which began on Monday, largely pits revenue-seeking developing countries and authoritarian regimes that want more control over Internet content against U.S. policymakers and private Net companies that prefer the status quo.

The Internet has no central regulatory body, but various groups provide some oversight, such as ICANN, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that coordinates domain names and numeric Internet protocol addresses.

U.S. companies have led innovation on the Internet, and this stateside dominance is a worry for countries unaligned with the world's most powerful country.

The United States has also led in the development and use of destructive software in military operations that take advantage of anonymous Internet routing and security flaws.

Some of the proposals now being contested by the American and Canadian delegations are aimed at increasing security and reducing the effectiveness of such attacks, though the West and several rights groups argue that is a pretext for greater repression.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré told Reuters last week that any major changes to the 1988 treaty would be adopted only with "consensus" approaching unanimity, but leaked documents show that managers at the 147-year-old body view a bad split as a strong possibility.

If that happens, debates over ratification could erupt in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

(Reporting by Matt Smith in Dubai and Joseph Menn in San Francisco; editing by Matthew Lewis)

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Chiefs' LB mentioned other 'girlfriend' to police

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher spent some of his final hours sleeping in his car outside the home of another woman whom he described as his "girlfriend."

Police spokesman Darin Snapp said Tuesday that the woman's apartment complex was about 10 miles from the home where Belcher shot and killed the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins. Belcher then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself in front of team officials.

Snapp says the officers who found Belcher sleeping in his car around 2:50 a.m. Saturday determined that he didn't have any outstanding warrants. He says Belcher made a phone call and that a woman let him into the building a few minutes later.

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CDC says US flu season starts early, could be bad

NEW YORK (AP) — Flu season in the U.S. is off to its earliest start in nearly a decade — and it could be a bad one.

Health officials on Monday said suspected flu cases have jumped in five Southern states, and the primary strain circulating tends to make people sicker than other types. It is particularly hard on the elderly.

"It looks like it's shaping up to be a bad flu season, but only time will tell," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The good news is that the nation seems fairly well prepared, Frieden said. More than a third of Americans have been vaccinated, and the vaccine formulated for this year is well-matched to the strains of the virus seen so far, CDC officials said.

Higher-than-normal reports of flu have come in from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. An uptick like this usually doesn't happen until after Christmas. Flu-related hospitalizations are also rising earlier than usual, and there have already been two deaths in children.

Hospitals and urgent care centers in northern Alabama have been bustling. "Fortunately, the cases have been relatively mild," said Dr. Henry Wang, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Parts of Georgia have seen a boom in traffic, too. It's not clear why the flu is showing up so early, or how long it will stay.

"My advice is: Get the vaccine now," said Dr. James Steinberg, an Emory University infectious diseases specialist in Atlanta.

The last time a conventional flu season started this early was the winter of 2003-04, which proved to be one of the most lethal seasons in the past 35 years, with more than 48,000 deaths. The dominant type of flu back then was the same one seen this year.

One key difference between then and now: In 2003-04, the vaccine was poorly matched to the predominant flu strain. Also, there's more vaccine now, and vaccination rates have risen for the general public and for key groups such as pregnant women and health care workers.

An estimated 112 million Americans have been vaccinated so far, the CDC said. Flu vaccinations are recommended for everyone 6 months or older.

On average, about 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the CDC.

Flu usually peaks in midwinter. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, head and body aches and fatigue. Some people also suffer vomiting and diarrhea, and some develop pneumonia or other severe complications.

A strain of swine flu that hit in 2009 caused a wave of cases in the spring and then again in the early fall. But that was considered a unique type of flu, distinct from the conventional strains that circulate every year.

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Online:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly

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Michael Richards signed to TV Land sitcom pilot

NEW YORK (AP) — TV Land says it has cast "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards in a pilot for a prospective new sitcom.

The series, "Giant Baby," also would feature fellow "Cheers" alums Kirstie Alley and Rhea Perlman.

TV Land said Tuesday the pilot will be taped next week.

"Giant Baby" focuses on Broadway star Maddie Banks, played by Alley. Richards plays her limo driver while Perlman plays her assistant.

This would be Richards' first regular series role since his short-lived NBC sitcom aired in 2000. Before that, he played Jerry Seinfeld's kookie neighbor Cosmo Kramer on the wildly popular "Seinfeld" series.

In the meantime, Richards performed as a standup comedian. He lost his temper while being heckled at a club in 2006 and was caught on tape shouting the N-word. He later apologized.

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United Dreamliner makes emergency landing in New Orleans

A brand-new United Airlines "Dreamliner" bound for Newark, N.J., was diverted Tuesday morning, making an emergency landing in New Orleans because of a mechanical problem.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner recently entered service in North America in a debut last month with United Airlines. United and Boeing are both based in Chicago.

United flight 1146 from Houston to Newark was diverted to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and landed safely, the airline said. The flight carried 174 customers and 10 crew members.

"We are re-accommodating the customers on a different aircraft to Newark," United said in a statement. "United will work with Boeing to review the diversion and determine the cause."

The Dreamliner, which features greater passenger comforts and fuel efficiency compared with similar planes, is a big deal for United and Boeing and has been highly touted by both.

gkarp@tribune.com

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4 ex-federal prosecutors finalists for U.S. attorney post

The names of four former federal prosecutors will be sent to the White House for the Obama administration to decide who will succeed former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, according to a letter made public by Illinois’ two U.S. senators.

Several sources have previously identified the finalists as Jonathan Bunge, Zach Fardon, Lori Lightfoot and Gil Soffer.

According to the letter sent to the White House, Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk conferred on the candidates and agreed on the four names.

Lightfoot, a partner at the Chicago law firm of Mayer Brown, would be the first African-American and first woman appointed to the post in Chicago. While working for the city from 2002 to 2005, she headed the Police Department's Office of Professional Standards, which investigated complaints of misconduct by officers.

Bunge, a partner at the Kirkland Ellis law firm, led the federal prosecution of police officers in south suburban Ford Heights who were convicted on racketeering and bribery charges.

Fardon, a partner at the Latham Watkins law firm, helped win the conviction of former Gov. George Ryan in 2006 as part of the Operation Safe Roads probe. Fardon, who grew up in Tennessee, also brings administrative experience, serving in the No. 2 post in the U.S. attorney's office in Nashville before entering private practice.

Soffer, a partner at the Katten Muchin Rosenman law firm, served as associate deputy attorney general in Washington during the final year of President George W. Bush's administration. He was appointed to an Illinois state ethics commission in 2009.

Fitzgerald stepped down in June after serving a record nearly 11 years as Chicago's chief federal prosecutor. He joined the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Chicago late last month.

asweeney@tribune.com

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Nokia Siemens to sell optical networks unit

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Mobile telecoms equipment joint venture Nokia Siemens Networks, which is focusing on its core business, is to sell its optical fiber unit to Marlin Equity Partners for an undisclosed sum.

Up to 1,900 employees, mainly in Germany and Portugal, will be transferred to the new company, NSN said on Monday.

The company, owned by Nokia and Siemens, has sold a number of product lines since it last year announced plans to divest non-core assets and cut 17,000 jobs, nearly a quarter of its total workforce.

Nordea Markets analyst Sami Sarkamies said he expected more divestments after the optical unit deal. This disposal was a small surprise, he said, because NSN needed some optical technology - where data is transmitted by pulses of light - for its main mobile broadband business.

The move may hint the company is preparing itself for further consolidation in the sector by cutting overlaps with other players, Sarkamies said.

The telecom equipment market is going through rough times with stiff competition. French Alcatel-Lucent is also cutting costs.

($1 = 0.7689 euro)

(Reporting by Harro ten Wold; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Dan Lalor)

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A-Rod needs hip surgery, will miss season's start

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alex Rodriguez will have surgery on his left hip and will miss the start of the season and possibly the entire first half.

Rodriguez has a torn labrum, bone impingement and a cyst, the Yankees said Monday. The third baseman will need to follow a pre-surgery program over the next four-to-six weeks, and the team anticipates he will be sidelined four-to-six months after the operation. That timetable projects to a return between the start of May and mid-July.

A-Rod had right hip surgery on March 9, 2009, and returned that May 8. The Yankees said this operation will be "similar but not identical."

Rodriguez, who turns 38 in July, complained of pain in his right hip the night Raul Ibanez pinch hit for him — and hit a tying ninth-inning home run — against Baltimore during the AL division series in October. He went to a hospital and was checked out then.

His left hip injury was detected last month during an exam by Dr. Marc Philippon, who operated on Rodriguez three years ago. A-Rod then got a second opinion from Dr. Bryan Kelly, who will repair the latest injury at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

"Both doctors believe that there is a very strong possibility that Rodriguez's hip condition may have had a negative effect on his performance during the latter stages of the season and the playoffs," the Yankees said.

Rodriguez was benched in three of nine postseason games and pinch hit for in three others. He hit .120 (3 for 25) with no RBIs in the playoffs, including 0 for 18 with 12 strikeouts against right-handed pitchers.

A-Rod broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch from Seattle's Felix Hernandez on July 24. He returned Sept. 3 and hit .195 with two homers and six RBIs over the final month of the regular season.

This will be Rodriguez's sixth trip to the disabled list in six seasons. He had a strained quadriceps in 2008, the hip surgery in 2009, a strained calf in 2010, knee surgery in 2011 and the broken hand this year.

Signed to a record $275 million, 10-year contract after the 2007 season, Rodriguez is owed $114 million by New York over the next five years.

Fifth on the career list with 647 home runs, he had just 34 the last two seasons.

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