2016 Winter Meeting Presentations
- February 14, 2019
- NRRI Colloquium 2016-Feb - Fragmentation in the Water Industry
- Dan Phelan, Research Assistant
- February 14, 2016
- NRRI Colloquium 2016-Feb - Review of Utility Billing and Customer Care
- Tom Stanton, Principal Researcher and Kathryn Kline, Research Assistant
- February 14, 2016
- NRRI Colloquium 2016-Feb - Telecommunications Carrier of Last Resort
- Sherry Lichtenberg, Ph.D., Principal Researcher
- February 14, 2016
- NRRI Colloquium 2016-Feb - Vertical Arrangements for Natural Gas Procurement by Utilities
- Ken Costello, Principal Researcher
- February 13, 2016
- 2016 NARUC Winter Committee Meetings - NRRI Colloquium Presentations
- A compilation of presentation slides for the following four (4) presentations delivered at the National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI) Colloquium on Saturday, February 13, 2016, in Washington, DC:Telecommunications Carrier of Last Resort: Necessity or Anachronism(Sherry Lichtenberg, Ph.D., Principal Researcher, NRRI)This presentation will explore questions regarding the need for and continuation of carrier of last resort (COLR) requirements as the network transitions to Internet Protocol (IP). Will COLR survive the IP transition? How has legislation effected COLR requirements in the States? Is it time to require a broadband COLR?Fragmentation in the Water Industry and Regulatory Impacts(Dan Phelan, Research Associate, NRRI)More than 155,000 public water systems serve the United States and over 100,000 of those serve less than 500 people. These small water companies struggle with access to capital, technical proficiency and regulatory complexity, among other challenges. This presentation addresses the regulatory challenges of small water companies and examines the considerations that a regulator must keep in mind when addressing them.Review of Utility Billing and Customer Care: Current Issues and Future Directions(Tom Stanton, Principal Researcher, NRRI, and Kathryn Kline, Research Assistant, NRRI)This presentation is based on an NRRI Research Paper in which the authors surveyed all 50 States and the District of Columbia to gather information about utility billing rules and practices and related customer communications, including consumer complaint data compiled and reported by the States. In addition to the survey, information was gathered from a literature review, sample utility bills, utility publications, and a Billing Symposium held by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in November 2015. The NRRI Research Paper reviews: (1) the many different goals and objectives for utility billing and customer care systems held by utilities, Commissioners, consumer interests, and society at large; (2) State billing rules, noting similarities and differences and identifying 16 important topics included in many State rules; and, (3) complaint data from almost half of all States, by industry type and topic of complaint.Vertical Arrangements for Natural Gas Procurements by Utilities: Rationales and Regulatory Considerations(Ken Costello, Principal Researcher, NRRI)This presentation discusses utility long-term commitment through utility ownership of gas reserves (UOGR) and a joint venture with an affiliate exploration and production company. All of the utilities proposing UOGR calculate expected gas cost savings for their customers based on information available at the time; for example, a comparison of gas production costs with market price forecasts, in addition to long-term hedging/price stability benefits and a more secure gas supply. Vertical arrangements raise several concerns that regulators must grapple with to protect customer interest. UOGR raises unique questions, especially about the risk-reward effect on utility customers relative to utility or its umbrella-company shareholders.