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Thumbs Up to the Pennsylvania PUC Chair
Recommends More Educational Efforts Rather Than Legislative Efforts to Ban Retail Choice Options
On March 3, the Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee held a budget hearing with the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
Committee member Sen. Lisa Boscola asked PUC Chairman Stephen DeFrank about what additional statutory reforms he would recommend “to better protect seniors, especially seniors, fixed incomes, households, from these variable rate traps.”
Chairman DeFrank responded in part, “…instead of banning things, instead of banning options for customers, let’s educate them, and let’s give them tools to make those options work.” Later, in a response to a question from Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, DeFrank said, “I think the key to a vibrant, strong retail market is education, making sure folks understand what products are available to them, how that may interact with their particular situation…One of the things I’ve always been supportive of is empowering consumers with choices, instead of removing choices from them, give them choices to help manage whatever their current situation is.”
