Maryland PSC Fines Broker $10,000

The Maryland PSC fined a broker $10,000, and granted the company an electric broker license.

Specifically, the PSC granted J. Andrew Associates, Inc. d/b/a Seven-Utility Management Consultants, LLC an electric broker license to serve commercial customers.

The PSC also directed the company to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $10,395, which equals $5.00 per day multiplied by the number of days (2,079) the company operated in Maryland without a license.

Staff had recommended the higher penalty, which departs from the typical fine of the greater of $100 or the unpaid Maryland assessment, because Staff alleged that Seven-Utility Management Consultants first filed an application to operate as a broker in May 2006, but then withdrew the application in January 2007.

Staff also said that a harsher penalty was not warranted (another broker had been fined over $20,000 for operating without a license) for several reasons. "First, the person responsible for the initial SUMC application is no longer associated with the Company. Secondly, the Company has never had complaints against it in Maryland or other jurisdictions in which it operates," Staff had said.