Consumer Advocates: Ohio Retail Electric Market Investigation Ignoring Consumer Protection Issues

The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel and several other consumer advocates have urged the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to broaden its proposed topics and subcommittees in its retail electric market investigation (12-3151-EL-COI) to include consumer protection and consumer education issues.

"The consumer parties are writing to further express our concern that issues of customer protection are not being given the same consideration and priority in the workshop process as issues involving changes in market structure that some in the industry are seeking. We ask you to further consider adding such issues to the process," the consumer advocates said.

The consumer advocates had previously proposed that the following issues be addressed in the proceeding:

1) Consumer education issues including Apples to Apples website and broader consumer education issues

2) Customer enrollment including treatment of customer data

3) Customer impact analysis (who pays)

4) Customer complaints process, slamming, etc.

"Other than the customer billing/data topic, which may also address customer enrollment issues, none of our proposed topics for protecting Ohio consumers were accepted," the consumer advocates said.

According to the consumer advocates, "The PUCO Staff did explain its approach to one of our proposals, consumer education. It wrote that 'The Consumer Education and Apples-to-Apples website topics will be addressed by the PUCO's Office of Retail Competition through a process separate from this proceeding.' Additionally, the PUCO Staff advised that the consumer education subcommittee 'will not be part of the 12-3151 proceedings or any other docket.'"

"It would be consistent with state policy and the interest of Ohioans to consider consumer protection issues contemporaneously with the industry's proposals for changes in the electricity market structure," the consumer advocates said.

"In this regard, it is the policy of Ohio to ensure 'retail electric service consumers protection against unreasonable sales practices, market deficiencies, and market power.' And it is the policy of Ohio to '[p]rotect at-risk populations, including, but not limited to, when considering the implementation of new advanced energy or renewable energy resources,'" the consumer advocates said.

"Therefore, the consumer parties request that the PUCO Staff broaden its proposed topics and subcommittees in this proceeding to include consumer protection and consumer education issues, including but not limited to those proposed above."