Many (most? all maybe?) state utility regulatory Commissions in the U.S. have found the need to establish and fund an office to specifically focus on and professionally represent the interests of electricity consumers as an official intervenor in electricity rate regulatory proceedings.
California has legislatively established the Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA) as a Division of the California Public Utilities Commission with considerable discovery rights and access to confidential information of the regulated utilities.
EmPower and NASECORE are talking about consumer ownership in Meralco. But as we’ve watched and read about the GSIS maneuverings in the Meralco Board room, without the votes even Board members have difficulty gaining certain information – how much less mere stockholders.
The regulatory forum may be the more proper – and stronger – arena to monitor and control regulated monopolies of public services. It may be time to establish an Office of Ratepayer Advocate either within or outside of the ERC, professionally staffed with engineers, accountants, and lawyers – working in coordination at times, perhaps, with other independent consumer interest groups such as EmPower and NASECORE and even PhilRECA – to more effectively utilize the rate regulatory structures we already have in place.
Funding should (or could) be through a set-aside in electricity tariffs we all pay. We’ll effectively pay for our own professional intervenors to represent and advocate for us. That’s as it should be.