tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325135932012-01-10T02:54:09.558-05:00The Public Utility Law Project of New York (PULP) works to advance universal service, affordability, and customer protection for low and fixed income energy and utility consumers. Visit PULP's website, www.pulp.tcGerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.comBlogger5671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-43929064526857273492010-08-06T15:53:00.022-04:002011-03-08T18:55:30.454-05:00

Good NewsUnited States District Judge David N. Hurd of the Northern District of New York issued a decision on August 5, 2010 vindicating the due process and equal protection rights of a tenant user of municipal water service. The City of Auburn had terminated and denied water service due to her landlord's overdue bills for past service, and then condemned the premises as unsafe and unsanitary due

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-64408755245251174662010-08-05T15:58:00.010-04:002010-08-06T22:47:11.627-04:00

Today U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd issued a decision and order granting the motion of an Auburn tenant for partial summary judgment declaring that her constitutional rights were violated when the City refused to provide water service to her without her paying her landlord's bill for past service, and for terminating service without timely and adequate notice, including notice of an

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-46240159049323876572010-07-02T10:41:00.011-04:002010-09-11T09:53:14.545-04:00

Exactly three months into the state fiscal year that began April 1, the official deadline for the state budget, the New York State Assembly and Senate both adjourned on July 1st with most of the budget for the 2010 – 2011 completed. See David King, State Budget Remains in Limbo, Gotham Gazette, July 1, 2010.The budget bills enacted to that date, however, did not include funding for continuation

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-38748032415695401502010-06-25T15:29:00.003-04:002010-06-25T15:33:30.661-04:00

In its most recent rate case, National Grid agreed to expand its low income rates for its gas customers in Brooklyn served by KEDNY. Residential non-heating customers now receive a $2.50 monthly discount in the minimum charge and heating customers are offered a $9.50 discount. There is also a seasonal winter discount which provides an additional 45% savings off of the second rate block for

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-44274098427501338842010-06-25T15:14:00.002-04:002010-06-25T15:17:34.250-04:00

Only 65% of Americans have broadband at home, even though it’s available to 95%. The estimated 100 million Americans who lack broadband at home say they cannot afford it, they don’t know how to use it, believe it is irrelevant to their lives, or can’t get it. These were the findings of the Pew Center on the States report entitled Bringing America Up To Speed: States’ Role in Expanding

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-4960759992142065352010-06-23T08:20:00.012-04:002011-03-03T08:17:56.822-05:00

The New York State Assembly is resisting a push, in the last days of the legislative session, to approve a landmark change in the Public Authorities Law that for generations has assured that the benefit of much of the low cost Niagara River hydropower goes to "rural and domestic" customers. See N.Y. Senate passes cheap power for business, Assembly opposes benefit cuts to upstate homes, Journal

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-64640484094821666512010-06-22T15:37:00.012-04:002010-10-20T14:35:15.999-04:00

The Maryland Public Service Commission yesterday rejected a request of Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) to replace, at utility customer expense, all of its gas and electric meters with new "smart" meters. If approved, the BGE request would have cost utility customers more than $850 million.In its 54 page order, the Maryland Commission rejected the entreaties of the utility and the agency's staff to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-23034858084724856742010-06-21T15:15:00.008-04:002010-06-22T14:05:42.357-04:00

On March 4, 2010, Bay City Metering Company, Inc., an unregulated provider of utility services to owners selling submetered electric service to tenants, filed an application with the New York State Public Service Commission to replace individual directed metered Con Edison electric service with submetered service at a New York City residential cooperative at 61 Jane Street. Public Service

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-46898561287862356622010-06-18T14:49:00.002-04:002010-06-18T14:56:24.787-04:00

NASUCA, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, of which PULP is a member, distributed a consumer alert on June 16th to inform customers that some TracFone SafeLink Lifeline telephones have been placed for sale on Craigslist. The ads are extremely problematic because the SafeLink phones are to be only used by Lifeline-eligible low-income customers, the reduced cost of the

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-4973536732057184872010-06-16T15:22:00.031-04:002011-02-03T10:00:04.570-05:00

Despite broad consumer, utility, and government opposition, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division filed papers in the Southern District of New York federal court last week in further support of its proposal to settle an antitrust case against KeySpan for inflating prices in the NYISO market for electric capacity. Under the Tunney Act, DOJ cannot simply settle an

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-89057212739045194672010-06-15T17:20:00.012-04:002010-07-03T09:22:08.437-04:00

AARP, Consumers Union, and PULP have joined in a statement opposing legislative reallocation of the portion of low cost hydropower now targeted by law for the benefit of residential and rural customers. Business groups are proposing to shift the benefit in order to subsidize selected businesses in the name of job creation, i.e., "Power for Jobs."Reallocating the benefit of residential hydro

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-73930674166046321602010-06-11T10:47:00.003-04:002010-06-11T10:58:46.487-04:00

With the legislative session nearing an end, and the expected adoption of a budget for the 2010-11 state fiscal year, which began April 1, 2010, essential funding necessary for PULP's continued operation is still in jeopardy. See AARP Urges State Senate to Save PULP. PULP has exhausted its funds and cannot pay its staff or other bills now, and will cease operations without continued funding in

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-73755601342413509542010-06-11T10:25:00.002-04:002010-06-11T10:47:07.542-04:00

We have previously discussed the halt of electricity submetering at the Oceangate apartment complex in Coney Island. See Oceangate Submetering on Hold Pending PSC Review of Tenant Petition for Stay and Impact Assessment, PULP Network, February 20, 2010. The association of Oceangate tenants, the North Bay Tenants Association, filed a Petition asking the PSC to halt implementation of submetering

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-12640467472074385992010-06-11T10:02:00.003-04:002010-06-11T10:20:39.379-04:00

On June 7th, the Governor of Colorado, Bill Ritter, Jr. , sent a veto message regarding House Bill 10-1281 which would have permanently exempted Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") providers from regulation by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission ("PUC"), including the voice telephone services offered by the cable companies. Citing activity at the FCC regarding the proper regulatory

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-50814023267460655112010-06-11T09:51:00.002-04:002010-06-11T09:56:54.500-04:00

On June 8th, the FCC announced that its Wireline Competition Bureau will be hosting a roundtable discussion to enable interested parties to discuss the design of pilot programs that would provide subsidies for broadband access to low income consumers, a program similar to the Lifeline discount program for telephone users . The pilot concept comes from the recent FCC actions in proposing a

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-85139651498627284812010-06-04T12:03:00.002-04:002010-06-04T12:11:11.320-04:00

The June 2nd New York State Register included a posting from the New York State Public Service Commission ("PSC") seeking comments on Verizon's request for a waiver of the requirement to distribute residential white pages directories to all of its customers. The company claimed that the current requirements are no longer necessary and granting its request would be environmentally sound.

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-73422941931752027332010-06-04T11:38:00.002-04:002010-06-04T11:47:36.752-04:00

As PULP has reported on numerous times in recent years, telephone Lifeline enrollment for reduced price telephone Lifeline service in New York State with the landline providers has dropped by more than 50% since its peak in 1996 . However, according to the latest postings from the Universal Service Administrative Company ("USAC"), the FCC's designated administrator of the federal Universal

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-52238086056371734132010-06-02T13:39:00.036-04:002011-04-13T13:55:56.832-04:00

The New York Public Authorities Law Section 1005 generally requires, with some exceptions, that hydro power be used for the benefit of the state's "rural and domestic customers." This makes the power from the Niagara and St. Lawrence hydro plants available at the very low cost of production without any markup. Over the years, large business groups have sought to increase the portion of hydro

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-50309273399748399462010-05-28T10:19:00.003-04:002010-05-28T10:47:49.849-04:00

On May 26, 2010, the FCC released the findings of a survey which indicates that 30 million Americans - or one in six mobile users - have experienced "bill shock," its term for a sudden increase in their monthly bill that is not caused by a change in service plan. The survey also showed that nearly half of cell phone users who have plans with early termination fees ("ETFs") - and almost

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-48962605449931232802010-05-27T11:19:00.012-04:002010-05-27T15:42:32.524-04:00

BackgroundOver the past year we have occasionally discussed some of the efforts of the Related Company, manager of the Yonkers Riverview II apartment complex, to convert to landlord submetering of electricity with the support of New York state agencies, the PSC, DHCR and NYSERDA, and the adverse impact upon tenants. SeeApril 9, 2009:Yonkers Tenants Ask PSC to Halt Submetering at Riverview

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-83941884499891292762010-05-24T13:41:00.004-04:002010-05-24T13:59:36.540-04:00

Anne Mead died last week. She was "a trailblazing Democratic lawyer who served as Suffolk's first deputy county executive, the county's first woman judge and later the first woman to chair the Public Service Commission." She was highly respected, a champion of consumer rights, and served as a member of the Board of Directors of PULP following her service on the Commission.

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-43396918014283336502010-05-21T11:20:00.002-04:002010-05-21T11:31:24.191-04:00

In an Examiners’ Report released on May 18th, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (“MPUC”) Staff found that the Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) services provided by Time Warner Cable and Comcast constitute “telephone services” under Maine law and are subject to the MPUC’s regulations. The Staff also found that its conclusion is not preempted by federal law. While the issue is now set

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-73435860478844848142010-05-19T14:20:00.006-04:002011-02-03T10:05:59.584-05:00

AARP has submitted comments and objections to the proposed settlement of a U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit against KeySpan filed in February 2010. The Complaint alleges KeySpan violated the Sherman Act when it inflated NYISO electricity capacity auction prices from 2006 to 2008. The amount by which prices were inflated was estimated by Con Edison at $159 million in 2006 alone.A

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-72087031492346321512010-05-18T12:30:00.018-04:002010-05-19T14:53:02.522-04:00

The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) failed to consider best use of the federally regulated Cohoes, N.Y. dam and hydropower plant when it granted a new license to the current owner, and so the case was remanded to FERC to review an alternative proposal of the Green Island Power Authority (GIPA). See Second Circuit Requires

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-77697804426111900272010-05-17T10:21:00.008-04:002010-05-18T10:14:14.724-04:00

On May 11, 2010, the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) announced it will issue additional HEAP benefits to households who previously qualified for Regular HEAP during the 2009-2010 HEAP season. The supplemental payment is being made with federal LIHEAP contingency funds released by President Obama in January.According to the OTDA press release,eligible

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-31525466791987003782010-05-17T10:15:00.006-04:002010-05-17T13:28:00.301-04:00

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) is proposing to amend its regulations to implement last year's statutory amendment to the emergency utility assistance program under social services law 131-s. Persons with incomes over the threshold for ongoing public assistance are required to sign a repayment agreement as a condition of assistance. The proposed

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-17351966593028402122010-05-14T14:21:00.002-04:002010-05-14T14:31:45.697-04:00

This week, the FCC released its latest "Telephone Penetration By Income By State" report . The report is based on March 2009 Census Bureau survey data from its Current Population Survey which asks the question:"Does this house, apartment, or mobile home have telephone service from which you can both make and receive calls? Please include cell phones, regular phones, and any other type of

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-57030497182391556662010-05-14T14:14:00.004-04:002010-05-14T14:19:55.058-04:00

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on May 12, 2010 its twice a year report on the number of Americans who "cut the cord" and are using wireless telephone service only. According to the report, 24.5% had only wireless telephones during the last half of 2009, a 1.8% increase since the first half of 2009. A state-by-state breakdown was not provided.The New York

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-30049519474680800332010-05-12T15:44:00.006-04:002010-05-17T11:59:50.986-04:00

New York OTDA has announced that the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) will close for both Regular and Emergency HEAP assistance benefits on Friday, May 14, 2010. No new applications will be accepted after that date.When the HEAP program is open, OTDA instructs local departments of social services to explore HEAP eligibility first, before considering applicants' eligibility for state/local

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-16208020792341746182010-05-11T21:35:00.005-04:002010-05-12T08:32:02.900-04:00

The Related Companies, owner of Yonkers Riverview II, filed revised procedures and model notices for eviction of tenants who have not paid charges for electric service. The May 7, 2010 filing by the landlord includes a sample notice regarding non payment of electric service charges which states:Please remit $XX.XX by MM!DD/YY [15 days later] or we will commence summary proceedings in accordance

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-6264427021997814942010-05-11T21:06:00.005-04:002010-05-12T21:19:26.757-04:00

The North Bay Tenants Association at the Oceangate apartment complex in Brooklyn filed a petition on January 28, 2010 asking the PSC to revoke its prior approval of landlord submetering of electrically heated apartments. As a result, implementation of submetering has been put on hold. The PSC issued a notice inviting public comment under the State Administrative Procedure Act. Last week, the

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-88948926349353810132010-05-07T13:43:00.002-04:002010-05-07T13:50:48.304-04:00

Agreement on a state budget for April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2011 has not been reached. See David King, A Month After the Deadline, State Budget Nowhere in Sight, Gotham Gazette May 6, 2010. As a result, many not for profit organizations are rapidly exhausting their resources as they struggle to provide services in anticipation of renewed appropriations and new contracts. SeeState Budget Impasse

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-54527129008323110662010-05-07T11:57:00.003-04:002010-05-12T17:05:37.383-04:00

Although TracFone willingly claims and accepts millions every month in universal service support, it has attempted to back away from state requirements to provide emergency 911 service. Back in 2008, the FCC granted TracFone’s petition to be designated as a Lifeline-only Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (“ETC”) in 12 states, including New York. One of the requirements placed on TracFone so

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-74843524006687183672010-05-07T11:03:00.002-04:002010-05-07T11:45:16.117-04:00

In an Order released on May 4th, 2010 the FCC directed the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service to review the federal eligibility, verification, and outreach rules for the Lifeline and Link-Up phone service affordability programs. Specifically, the Joint Board was asked to recommend any changes to the Lifeline and Link-Up programs that may be necessary, “given significant technological

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-53151331432223407612010-04-29T15:48:00.007-04:002010-04-30T12:23:16.956-04:00

PULP has asked for a review of the PSC process for deciding utility customer complaints, citing delays in some cases of more than a decade. The PSC consumer complaint process provides for an initial decision by the PSC's Office of Consumer Services, an informal review or hearing, and a final decision by the Commission, usually through a delegated employee. After a final decision is issued,

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-24744681525605503472010-04-23T12:38:00.006-04:002010-04-23T14:43:15.186-04:00

Governor Paterson omitted PULP from his budget proposal, again making it essential for the state legislature to add appropriations that would ensure PULP's survival. See State Budget Impasse Threatens PULP's Future, April 9, 2010.This week, AARP New York State Director Lois Aronstein wrote to State Senate Conference Leader John Sampson urging the State Senate to ensure adequate funding for the

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-48627523087197338182010-04-22T14:24:00.003-04:002010-04-22T20:38:03.893-04:00

In brief comments submitted to the FCC on April 2, 2010, the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) stated its opposition to positions taken by Global NAPS defending its refusal to pay access charges to carriers that terminate its traffic. Global NAPS maintained that because it is a Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) provider, like the voice services offered by the cable companies,

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-70134575413626580492010-04-20T10:27:00.012-04:002010-04-30T11:54:34.424-04:00

In light of the Governor's failure to make any provision for PULP in his proposed budget, and in light of the current tight budgetary situation facing New York State due to a falloff of revenue during the recession, and due to the late state budget, the future of PULP is in jeopardy. See State Budget Impasse Threatens PULP's Future, PULP Network, April 09, 2010.A small portion of the newly

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-71444997734700500322010-04-16T16:14:00.004-04:002010-04-16T16:51:07.855-04:00

According to today’s Albany Times Union, in the absence of any budget for the 2010 – 2011 New York State fiscal year that began more than two weeks ago, Governor David Paterson is drafting “extenders” of the current year budget. There is also movement in the Legislature to add funding into the extenders to keep state parks open, according to the Times Union article. Stop-gap measures for

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-36822324398969252322010-04-09T16:32:00.010-04:002010-04-13T16:16:38.284-04:00

Each year since 1981, the New York Legislature has appropriated funds to support the Public Utility Law Project of New York (PULP). Although small foundation grants and charitable donations occasionally supplement PULP's funding, the reality is that the State remains the primary source of PULP’s funding.One of the alarming consequences of the unresolved New York State Budget for 2010 – 2011

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-84913909613973995882010-04-06T17:15:00.006-04:002010-04-06T17:42:38.662-04:00

The recent warm spell and snow melt got us thinking about how the winter stacked up in comparison to normal heating seasons. NYSERDA' s Heating Fuels Report for March 29, 2010 reports indicate that this year New York had a warmer than normal season. The warmer weather obviously helped in meeting the cost of home heating, particularly downstate. There have been 8% fewer heating degree days in

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-61458522804534601522010-04-01T12:19:00.013-04:002010-04-02T09:26:42.187-04:00

Diminishing Emphasis on SubmeteringToronto, Ontario has approximately 1,000 concrete slab apartment towers built from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. This concentration of brutalist structures is second only to the New York City area in North America. Similar to New York, with its Mitchell-Lama and HUD-funded projects, some of the Toronto buildings were constructed to provide affordable

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-12887207524252187622010-04-01T09:32:00.014-04:002010-04-05T16:05:13.426-04:00

Poverty in New York StateThe 2010 New York State Poverty Report issued March 17th by the New York State Community Action Association shows that the level of poverty is virtually unchanged from last year. Because poverty is defined at the family level and not the household level, the poverty status of a household is determined by the poverty status of the householder. Households are classified

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-35885586019059650482010-03-29T15:44:00.002-04:002010-03-29T15:53:29.650-04:00

On March 26, 2010, the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, upheld a lower court's award of damages to customers of the Erie County Water Authority in an action to recover excess water charges. The water authority argued that the customers could not sue because they agreed to pay the charges in installments under a written payment plan, after the water service was shut off in an effort to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-35709645881689587972010-03-26T12:17:00.007-04:002010-03-26T12:32:54.460-04:00

As PULP reported recently, , Verizon-NY has proposed modifying the New York State Public Service Commission's ("PSC") timeliness of repair metrics in the Uniform Measurement Guidelines which apply to it and not to its intermodal competitors: wireless and Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") service provided by cable companies. Only three entities submitted comments: Verizon, the NYS

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-21856945739930097502010-03-26T11:44:00.005-04:002010-03-30T09:06:06.838-04:00

According to a GAO Report, the "Energy Star" labels placed on products as a way to signal they are "green" - and use less energy are not adequately audited. See Energy Star Program Audit Finds Fraud Vulnerability: Faked Products were Deemed Energy Savers, Matthew L. Wald, N.Y. Times, March 26, 2010.The report is only the latest in a series involving the 18-year-old EnergyStar program, which

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-51614690703418953972010-03-24T10:06:00.002-04:002010-03-24T10:16:10.001-04:00

Earlier this month, National Grid released the first annual report for the low income discount program it created for KeySpan Energy Delivery New York (“KEDNY”) and KeySpan Energy Delivery Long Island (“KEDLI”). Both programs were initiated as part of the revised rates approved for the companies in a New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) decision on December 21, 2007. For KEDNY, the

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-87493041421523599152010-03-22T11:13:00.013-04:002010-03-29T16:56:38.847-04:00

On March 22, 2010, the Yonkers Riverview II Tenants Association filed a petition with the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) seeking rehearing of its February 18, 2010 Order on Reconsideration which denied a stay and allowed electric submetering to continue based on promises of the owner to provide thermostats for the electric baseboard heat and energy education, and an expectation

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-10981971211576972132010-03-18T15:08:00.003-04:002010-03-18T15:30:02.631-04:00

In recent weeks, PULP has received telephone calls and e-mails from different utilities asking us to join them in opposing the Governor’s proposed increases to the Gross Receipts Tax (“GRT”) from one percent to three percent. Their reasoning is that PULP represents the interests of utility consumers, especially low income consumers, and any increases in taxes would be detrimental to all New York

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-20380800642229434902010-03-18T14:54:00.002-04:002010-03-18T15:05:25.816-04:00

To a mixture of fanfare, relief, and criticism, the FCC delivered to Congress Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan on March 16th. Weighing in at 376 pages, including appendices, it is both the culmination of several years work and the beginning of a lengthy process which, the report states, "[l]ike the Internet itself. . . will always be changing - adjusting to new developments in

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-21014713916730349192010-03-15T18:35:00.008-04:002010-03-16T11:30:24.098-04:00

A 2007 research report funded by HUD, Benchmarking Utility Usage in Public Housing, concludes there is no discernible difference in energy use between public housing residents that pay for their own energy and those for whom energy is paid by the [Public Housing Authorities].The report compared energy usage data from buildings with tenant-paid utilities and with utilities paid by the housing

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-36264713725174607362010-03-12T12:39:00.007-05:002010-03-12T14:56:29.210-05:00

We previously discussed the problem that tenants who receive electric service from their landlords can be threatened with eviction, even if they pay the rent, when they protest charges for electricity or if they fall behind in payment of the electric bills due to unemployment or other household financial crises. Typical language in a landlord's boilerplate lease labels charges for submetered

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-80027152248323175902010-03-10T22:08:00.004-05:002010-03-10T22:24:01.284-05:00

In comments submitted to the FCC March 4th, the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) expressed its support for the California Public Utilities Commission’s (“CPUC”) request for direct, password-protected access to the FCC’s Network Outage Reporting System (“NORS”) database. The PSC joined the CPUC in calling for the launch of a proceeding to implement a method of state access to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-26727354547843170822010-03-09T17:23:00.005-05:002010-03-09T17:54:44.185-05:00

On March 5, 2010, a broad coalition of groups, including PULP, filed comments with FERC urging closer assessment of the results of private wholesale markets. The functionally deregulated markets are run by private RTO utilities under FERC jurisdiction, such as the NYISO. FERC allows the RTOs to set prices for electricity using "market-based rates" demanded secretly by sellers in spot market

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-38684127201289058552010-03-09T09:54:00.009-05:002010-03-09T12:42:11.206-05:00

A cornerstone of the Enron-inspired electricity restructuring plans adopted in about 15 states was to require traditional vertically integrated utilities to sell their power plants to "merchant power" utilities who would compete in a wholesale market. The old utilities and new retail "energy services companies" would buy the electricity generation portion of service at wholesale and resell it to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-82746067245211717822010-03-04T17:25:00.001-05:002010-03-04T17:29:40.498-05:00

As PULP reported on February 22, 2010, Verizon has proposed a solution to its continuing trend of poor service quality: change the standards. When Verizon is unable to access necessary facilities in order to complete a repair (due to the customer or the property owner denying access) and when the customer requests Verizon to repair a trouble not the next day, but several days later, these are

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-24878329021671843192010-03-04T17:00:00.002-05:002010-03-04T17:20:28.055-05:00

In November 2009, the New York State Legislature approved enabling legislation permitting municipalities to create their own programs to finance the installation of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements using Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) bonds. Through PACE, upfront costs for cost effective energy improvements would no longer be a barrier because property owners

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-69897256643500279002010-03-04T09:59:00.014-05:002010-03-12T11:56:47.671-05:00

Incomplete Information from PSCThe North Bay Tenants Association filed a petition in January 2010 with the New York Public Service Commission seeking to halt the conversion of the premises from master metering of electricity to submetering. The premises, a former Mitchell-Lama project owned by a Starrett company, are electrically heated.The online PSC file for PSC Case 06-E-0847 contains the

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-84474526549978889332010-03-03T17:28:00.043-05:002010-03-04T22:43:12.418-05:00

In numerous cases involving submetering, tenants learn far too late that the New York PSC approved a plan for submetering that will increase their economic burdens despite good faith efforts to conserve electricity usage in their apartments. Under the PSC submetering regulations, a landlord seeking to convert from master metered electricity to a submetering system seemingly is required to notify

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-39820423088437475702010-03-02T20:10:00.015-05:002010-07-27T10:24:53.595-04:00

In a recent case involving conversion of a HUD subsidized Section 236 housing project from master metering of electricity to submetering, the landlord initially proposed to establish certain utility allowances. These defray increased payment burdens to be imposed upon tenants after implementing submetering of their apartments. At some point in the process, the owner shifted course and

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-52155440321459597482010-02-24T15:38:00.010-05:002010-02-24T16:55:24.734-05:00

The New York PSC lacks effective rules prohibiting ex parte contacts, typically made between utilities and the regulator without notice to parties. Today, the New York State Assembly passed a bill to limit ex parte communications in Public Service Commission (PSC) adjudicatory proceedings. According to the Memorandum in Support of the bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Marc S. Alessi:These

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-14409836657302163262010-02-24T11:52:00.002-05:002010-02-24T11:56:25.777-05:00

On February 23, 2010, the FCC its National Broadband Plan Consumer Survey entitled "Broadband Adoption and Use in America," which found that affordability and lack of digital skills are the main reasons why 93 million Americans - one-third of the country - are not connected to high-speed Internet at home. This result supports PULP's proposals to increase broadband deployment by making it more

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-80570507726076133342010-02-24T11:06:00.003-05:002010-02-24T12:17:37.940-05:00

A new report released today finds that New York families will continue to spend an extra $518 per year on their energy bills if strong energy efficiency policies are not incorporated into the climate and energy legislation before Congress. The report, released by the Public Utility Law Project of New York, Inc. (PULP) and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), shows that robust state and

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-11037631031880512122010-02-23T11:11:00.012-05:002010-02-24T19:05:12.682-05:00

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division filed a civil complaint alleging that KeySpan (now National Grid) implemented an illegal scheme to offer capacity at the maximum price -- economically withholding part of it -- in order to drive up the NYISO capacity auction prices, and to profit through a financial derivative transaction when the capacity it withheld was purchased from

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-17685868554437024962010-02-22T17:11:00.002-05:002010-02-22T17:13:57.838-05:00

According to the latest report from the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) , Verizon’s service quality remained poor during the fourth quarter of 2009 . While its customer trouble report rate (the number of service troubles reported by customers per 100 access lines) remains strong, the company repaired out-of-service situations within 24 hours only 48.8 percent of the time (the

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-12660791320105476042010-02-22T17:06:00.002-05:002010-02-22T17:09:26.429-05:00

This month, the FCC its “High-Speed Services for Internet Access Status Report” for the period ending December 31, 2008. Not only does this document report on data which is over a year old, it tracks broadband as connections over 200 mbps in at least one direction. At that speed, not only is broadband availability grossly over-reported, downloading graphics or video streaming are not going to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-29778403613715595322010-02-20T13:44:00.019-05:002010-02-21T10:49:00.072-05:00

When submetering is proposed by owners, it is common that tenants are misinformed and misled to believe that submetering will be offset by rent reductions and will only affect adversely those who are energy wasters, which is not true. The PSC often approves submetering without reliable information about the eventual impact on tenants, and after sham notice from the owner to the tenants. Tenants

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-19084333357746777252010-02-19T13:42:00.007-05:002010-07-27T10:25:52.761-04:00

The Town House West Tenants Association today filed a Petition for a Declaratory Ruling with the New York Public Service Commission to decide the proper treatment of taxes in their landlord's method of calculation of rates for submetered electric service.When a New York City landlord resells electric service to tenants, a per kilowatt hour rate is developed based on the total monthly charges for

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-29165382703905788102010-02-19T11:55:00.003-05:002010-02-19T12:17:00.295-05:00

On February 12th, the Nebraska Supreme Court issued an opinion which upheld the state's right to require TracFone to pay its 911 assessment on its wireless services. Nebraska had created three preapproved methods to collect the surcharge:a) The wireless carrier divides the total earned prepaid wireless telephone revenue received by the wireless carrier within the monthly reporting period by fifty

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-41608667410684292752010-02-19T08:55:00.008-05:002010-02-21T08:35:43.283-05:00

According to the February 18, 2010 Post-Standard, City of Syracuse officials have a policy that after an owner whose house in in foreclosure stops paying water bills, the City "won’t take payments from a tenant once water has been shut off." A City Water Department rule states thatApplications for service to premises occupied by a tenant shall be made by the owner of the premises, who shall be

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-16240613882855993872010-02-19T08:10:00.004-05:002010-02-19T08:38:51.793-05:00

The HEAP program uses federal dollars to address home energy needs of low-income households, with states allowed to design program details after involving the public in the program design. In February 17, 2010 Comments to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance ("OTDA") on the development of the State Home Energy Assistance Plan ("HEAP") for 2010 - 2011, PULP pointed out

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-72950414517388711862010-02-17T15:29:00.004-05:002010-02-17T15:58:04.575-05:00

Syracuse United Neighbors Announces Protest of City Water Shutoff PracticesFor more information: Phil Prehn--community organizer 315-476-7475 phil@sunaction.org SUN Press Event Regarding City’s Water Shut Off Of Innocent Tenant Due To Landlord Default Syracuse United Neighbors (SUN) will gather at the corner of W. Colvin Street and Midland Ave.. at 11:00 AM Thursday, February 18th to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-57671380243769181682010-02-16T22:27:00.006-05:002010-02-17T23:28:19.244-05:00

Steve Peace, a former California State Senator and impresario of the Killer Tomato cult movies, called father of the California electricity industry restructuring urged by Enron, (and who later denied paternity), has the following comments on the news that the federal government will now be committing billions of dollars to support new nuclear power plants in the South.The December 1995

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-76723181641794783772010-02-12T14:00:00.002-05:002010-02-12T14:10:43.394-05:00

A fascinating decision from the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) released on February 4, 2010 regarding whether the PSC could direct a wireless provider, Sprint PCS, to negotiate an interconnection agreement with a non-incumbent local exchange carrier (“CLEC”) and whether it could set a reciprocal compensation rate for the exchange of local (intra-MTA) traffic. At the heart of

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-39485603625944775052010-02-12T07:49:00.008-05:002010-02-12T11:32:35.185-05:00

BackgroundThe saga of ineffective PSC regulation of submetered electric service provided to tenants at Hazel Towers is in its second year. The PSC did not on individual tenant complaints of overcharges, rampant violation of HEFPA, and noncompliance with the PSC's prior Order allowing submetering at Hazel Towers. After individual complaints were brushed aside, the Hazel Towers Tenants Association

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-36462943061787184772010-02-11T11:30:00.005-05:002010-02-11T16:24:42.861-05:00

Residential natural gas customers in the Capital Region received a mailing from the Energy Service Company (ESCO) Vectren Source in recent days urging them to switch their service from Niagara Mohawk/National Grid to Vectren for significant savings on natural gas. Customers who switch to ESCOs pay the ESCO for gas they consume and still pay Niagara Mohawk/National Grid for the "delivery"

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-68290544475009243972010-02-10T14:15:00.005-05:002010-02-10T17:20:19.350-05:00

The Austin, Texas publicly owned electric utility, Austin Energy, offers significantly reduced rates to low-income consumers. It has adopted a system for efficient, automatic enrollment of customers who qualify for the reduced rates by reason of their receipt of other public benefits. See City of Austin Takes Extra Steps to Assist Low Income Utility Customers, Austin Energy, Feb. 9, 2010.

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-61693788625432860932010-02-10T10:34:00.005-05:002010-02-10T11:33:12.425-05:00

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has issued a notice inviting public input on development of the State Plan for New York's Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). Under the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act (LIHEAA) states are given great leeway to design their programs, but they must do so with public participation in the process. The purpose

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-49807493951834594642010-02-09T14:38:00.004-05:002010-02-09T15:08:09.681-05:00

On February 9, 2010, the New York PSC established a schedule for consideration of the petition of the North Bay Tenants Association to halt implementation of electricity submetering at Oceangate, a large complex of former Mitchell Lama apartment buildings in Coney Island, Brooklyn.The PSC Notice Establishing Pleadings Schedule directs the owner, Starrett Oceangate LLC/Oceangate Associates, LP, to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-56777313043603410052010-02-05T09:56:00.009-05:002010-02-05T18:01:52.029-05:00

BackgroundThe New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) is a New York utility, formed as a not for profit corporation at the request of the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) following its 1996 "vision order" for deregulation. In November, 1999 the NYISO took over the role of the former New York Power Pool to dispatch power in the state's bulk power grid, telling power producers

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-84655694690836920652010-02-04T17:28:00.003-05:002010-02-05T09:54:53.065-05:00

As part of its “National Broadband Plan” proceeding, the FCC solicited comments on what the policy framework should be as we transition from a switched-based to an Internet Protocol (“IP”)-based communications network. In its January 27, 2010 comments, the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) emphasized the role the states have “in protecting consumers in the provision of local

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-29746947158713288352010-02-04T16:55:00.002-05:002010-02-04T17:07:58.466-05:00

This week, the FCC released the latest of its three-times-a-year Telephone Subscribership in the United States report. It contains data from November 2009 and shows that the percentage of households with a telephone in New York now stands at 95.0%. This figure represents a slight decrease from the last set of figures in July 2009 (95.4%) and continues to lag the national average and those of

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-5310565786484496282010-02-04T12:25:00.001-05:002010-02-04T12:28:57.146-05:00

In a February 2, 2010 Order the FCC finally responded to petitions filed back in 2005 by various wireless providers regarding which Lifeline eligibility and verification rules apply to them – the FCC’s or the state’s rules. The FCC determined that even though states – like New York – may have enacted their own Lifeline programs (known as “non-federal default states”), these rules only apply to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-75104440036979345002010-01-30T08:02:00.018-05:002010-02-01T13:24:06.530-05:00

According to the Manhattan Real Estate Blog, Urban American has sued the PSC to overturn the PSC's September 17, 2009 Order which stayed implementation of submetering at four Manhattan housing projects run by Urban American.Major multi-family owner Urban American is suing the state Public Service Commission over electric billing in thousands of units of mostly rent-stabilized apartments in

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-27336841433930474172010-01-29T17:02:00.003-05:002010-01-29T17:20:35.396-05:00

The state budget crunch now facing New York has led Governor Paterson to propose draconian measures that would cut important services and programs for the poor. For example, he has proposed delaying welfare grant increases (which had been delayed for 19 years) in order to save $18 million.Meanwhile, tax and assessment anomalies and loopholes in the utility industry abound. See New York City

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-33522993653283521562010-01-28T12:00:00.009-05:002010-01-29T09:13:47.403-05:00

The North Bay Tenants Association (NBTA) filed a Petition with the PSC on January 28, 2009 asking the PSC to halt implementation of electricity submetering at Oceangate, a 542 unit high rise Mitchell Lama housing project in Coney Island owned by a Starrett Corp. affiliate.The Petition asks the PSC to conduct an environmental impact assessment of the submetering action upon the residents of

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-69684912055256855572010-01-28T11:28:00.006-05:002010-05-18T10:13:33.975-04:00

The WAP ProgramAccording to an HHS Report, low-income households in the Northeast pay approximately 22% of their annual income for home energy, while non low-income households pay about 5%. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act (LIHEAA) provides aid to help states address the needs of low income energy consumers who are often hit the worst by rising energy costs when prices jump or

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-33001564962917651832010-01-27T14:55:00.007-05:002010-01-28T07:22:25.462-05:00

A New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Task Force on Global Warming has proposed measures that may be harmful to lower income consumers utility consumers. According to an article in the January 23, 2009 New York Law Journal by the Task Force Chair, Michael B. Gerrard, the Task Force recommends changes in the law to restore the power of the PSC to mandate residential time of use pricing, to

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-72087013635992635862010-01-27T13:52:00.002-05:002010-01-27T14:16:37.719-05:00

According to data compiled by the Universal Service Administrative Company ("USAC"), the FCC's administrator of universal service funds and programs, the SafeLink service offered by TracFone Wireless now has more Lifeline discount telephone service customers in New York State than Verizon, even though it didn't begin offering the service and receiving reimbursement until April 2009.Carriers that

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-65488197106346720222010-01-23T10:45:00.021-05:002010-02-03T13:59:44.899-05:00

FERC Administrative Law Judge Carmen Cintron issued a decision January 22, 2010 finding that Amaranth gas trader Brian Hunter manipulated the settlement prices in the NYMEX natural gas futures markets in 2006. The judge noted with approval a U.S. Senate report describing of the role of now defunct Amaranth hedge fund, for whom Hunter was a major trader:Amaranth dominated trading in the U. S.

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-46543431797939001942010-01-22T14:35:00.008-05:002010-06-25T11:11:15.792-04:00

Background - The ESCO LoopholeIn general, state and local sales taxes apply to electric and natural gas service. The state Tax Law provides that residential energy sources and services exempt from the 4% New York State sales and use tax, but local sales taxes on utility services - including residential service - have been adopted by numerous local governments and school districts.The state sales

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-11770188086662594522010-01-21T10:00:00.003-05:002010-01-21T12:32:14.542-05:00

Yet another wireless provider has launched a Lifeline reduced price phone service for low-income customers in New York. Virgin Mobile, which received its authorization to offer Lifeline in New York last fall , is calling its service “Assurance Wireless.” The company joins Sprint , Verizon Wireless (for upstate NY only) , and TracFone as wireless Lifeline providers in the state. All 40

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-91333968799750093942010-01-15T15:16:00.008-05:002010-01-15T18:00:47.373-05:00

Yesterday the Supreme Court reversed a decision of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that had allowed states and consumers to challenge a deal establishing new rules for expensive electric capacity auctions in New England. We previously wrote about the case: FERC Asks Supreme Court to Limit Maine's Challenge to Wholesale Utility Rates in NRG Power Marketing Case, PULP

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-7994048452648187282010-01-15T15:04:00.002-05:002010-01-15T15:09:26.359-05:00

According to a posting in DSL Reports, Verizon will be raising the early termination fee (“ETF”) for its FiOS television and broadband Internet service to $360 on January 17th. This amount will be double the $179 ETF in place in 2009 for a two year contract, and nearly two and a half times the $149 ETF in effect back in 2007. The report went on to state that the ETF will be pro-rated,

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-25723136461919618912010-01-12T13:00:00.004-05:002010-01-12T13:19:43.015-05:00

Effective earlier this month, the New York State Public Service Commission ("PSC") created the Office of Consumer Policy and named Douglas Elfner to be its Acting Director.According to the PSC, the Office of Consumer Policy will focus on consumer policy matters, including those issues raised in rate cases and proceedings, such as low income programs, service quality, Smart Grid, and other

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-90706076051784053362010-01-12T08:20:00.016-05:002010-01-14T08:25:34.061-05:00

In October 2008 a tenant user of municipal water utility service provided by the City of Auburn, N.Y. commenced a lawsuit in U.S. District Court challenging constitutionality of the City's utility water service practices. The tenant is represented by PULP.The house the Plaintiff lived in was in foreclosure and the absentee owner had stopped paying Auburn for water and sewer service. Auburn

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-30484428456295714562010-01-11T11:01:00.005-05:002010-01-11T13:34:48.540-05:00

NYSERDA is proposing to revise its plans for spending $301.6 million of the projected $446.4 million proceeds from the sale of greenhouse gas allowances the RGGI program through the period ending March 31, 2012.The proposed new spending plan is based on a more conservative estimate of future RGGI auction revenue than the original plan adopted in April 2009, which had assumed receipt of $607

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-28340290967681127082010-01-08T15:01:00.002-05:002010-01-08T15:05:52.103-05:00

In a report released by the FCC at the end of December 2009 entitled “Quality of Service of Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers,” Verizon ranked poorly across all of its territories. The report covered the service quality of Verizon (including Verizon GTE, Verizon North, and Verizon South), AT&T (including AT&T Ameritech, AT&T BellSouth, AT&T Pacific, AT&T SNET, and AT&T Southwestern), Qwest, and

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-34699679435888216982010-01-08T14:26:00.002-05:002010-01-08T14:33:39.384-05:00

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , the federal government allocated $7.2 billion to the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration ("NTIA"), and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Program to map broadband infrastructure in the United States, develop a plan for broadband deployment, and issue loans and

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32513593.post-43743908895475877142010-01-08T07:54:00.031-05:002010-01-11T13:53:38.655-05:00

BackgroundAs we previously reported, the RGGI "cap and trade" program run by New York State agencies without enabling legislation was challenged in court by a power generator with a fixed long term contract that could not be adjusted to add the new cost of buying RGGI carbon allowances. See Millions of RGGI "Cap and Trade" Auction Proceeds Unspent Due to Legal Challenge, PULP Network, June 22,

Gerry Norlandernoreply@blogger.com1