N.D. telephone and rural electric cooperatives joined forces to o...
N.D. telephone and rural electric cooperatives joined forces to oppose N.D. Senate bill (SB-2410) that would require state PSC to reregulate rates and services of utility cooperatives having more than 2,500 customers. N.D. deregulated utility co-ops in 1993, but…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
current bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Ben Tollefson (D- Minot), said that while co-ops needed no regulation when they were small, some had grown too large to respond effectively to customer needs and problems. He said he was served by phone co-op but had no recourse other than lawsuit if company didn’t resolve service problem. Co-op representatives at hearings Tues. before Senate Industry, Business & Labor Committee said their customers had protection from boards of directors that closely reviewed actions of co-op management, and since co-ops were small, customers generally knew whom to call to get satisfaction. Co-ops said PSC wouldn’t represent their customers better than existing boards, while costs associated with PSC regulation were likely to result in higher rates for phone and electric service.