Last month, the Alabama REALTORS® Public Policy team attended the monthly Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) meeting in Montgomery to monitor the meeting for impacts on the real estate industry and property owners.

PSC Meeting 

The meeting focused on three categories: gas, telecommunications, and electricity.  The Commission heard reports from each division regarding public inquiries, such as billing and payment issues, service outage interruption, service quality, and service connection.  The Commission reported an increase in public inquiries at the meeting because of the cold weather conditions in December. The Commission also heard from private utility companies on issues such as contract approvals, insurance, and current consumer rates.

Because staying informed on utility rates is important to the real estate industry, the AAR Public Policy team will continue to monitor the Public Service Commission for its impact on our members.

PSC Background

The PSC was formed in 1918 to regulate the railroad industry and has since evolved to regulate other utilities as well.  Today, the Commission regulates electricity, natural gas utilities, telecommunications, private waste, water utilities, and motor carrier supervision.  The Commission comprises three elected members: the president and two associate commissioners.  The PSC’s mission statement states that the Commission exists to “ensure a regulatory balance between regulated companies and consumers in order to provide consumers with safe, adequate and reliable services at rates that are equitable and economical.”