2. Background

On December 21, 2006, SCE filed Application 06-12-026, seeking authorization to spend up to $67 million in 2007 for pre-deployment costs for its proposed AMI Project. The application also requested approval of specific ratemaking and cost recovery treatment for its pre-deployment expenditures.

The Utility Reform Network (TURN) and the Commission's Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA) filed protests of this application on January 25, 2007. A prehearing conference (PHC) was held on February 1, 2007, to determine the issues and schedule for resolving this application. In accordance with the schedule developed in that PHC and contained in the Scoping Memo for this proceeding, TURN and DRA served their opening testimony on March 30, 2007, and TURN, DRA, and SCE all provided rebuttal testimony on April 6, 2007. Two days of evidentiary hearings were held on April 17 and 18, 2007. SCE, TURN, and DRA all filed Opening and Reply Briefs. The proceeding was submitted on May 10, 2007.