Summary of SCC Proposal on
Consumer Education

• Overview: Proposes new §56-592.1. The new section establishes a consumer education program for implementation in connection with electric utility restructuring.
• Proposal: The draft language is intended to provide authority to the Commission to implement its December 1 consumer education report and recommendations, as presented to the LTTF on December 8. The statute sets out the goals of this program, particularly that of enabling consumers to make rational and informed choices in a competitive market. The proposed statute also makes clear that the Commission would regularly consult with stakeholders and interested parties in implementing this statute. Additionally, the Commission would provide to the LTTF regular updates concerning the program’s status. The proposal also provides that the program would be funded through (i) the Commission’s current special regulatory revenue tax—the means by which the Commission’s operations are funded, and to which all public service companies (gas, telephone, and water companies as well as the electric utility industry) under the Commission’s regulatory jurisdiction are subject, and (ii) the special regulatory tax that will become effective January 1, 2001.