Regulator's Staff Seeks Proceeding To Consider Whether Retail Supplier Offers Are Overpriced Or Harmful

The Office of Education, Outreach, and Enforcement (EOE) of the Connecticut PURA and the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) filed a motion requesting that PURA open a proceeding to investigate whether retail electric suppliers' offers are overpriced or harmful to residential customers

As previously reported, recent legislation allows the Authority to, "condition an electric supplier’s license and access to the systems and billing of the electric distribution companies on terms the authority determines to be just and reasonable, including, but not limited to, proof that the electric supplier’s products are not overpriced or harmful to residential customers."

EOE and OCC noted that, "the General Assembly ... amended Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-245(a) to allow the Authority to 'condition an electric supplier’s license and access to the systems and billing of the electric distribution companies on terms the authority determines to be just and reasonable, including, but not limited to, proof that the electric supplier’s products are not overpriced or harmful to residential customers.'"

"As has been demonstrated through the supplier rates filed monthly in Docket No. 06-10-22 and the filings in Docket No. 20-03-15 showing how many customers paying greater than standard service are subject to payment arrangements, the reasonableness of many supplier offers to non-hardship customers merits investigation. Therefore, EOE and OCC request that the Authority open a docket to allow for investigation of supplier offers as permitted under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-245(a)," EOE and OCC said

EOE and OCC asked that PURA stay a periodic review of whether to keep hardship customers on standard (default) service, under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-245o(m), pending the broader investigation

"An investigation under § 16-245(a) could result in restrictions being placed on all supplier contracts with residential customers, which would impact the result of the Authority’s review of its Decision under § 16-245o(m) in the present docket. As a result, EOE and OCC request that the Authority stay the current proceeding pending the resolution of a docket opened under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-245(a)," EOE and OCC said

Docket No. 18-06-02RE01