Public utilities commission

In the United States, a utilities commission, utility regulatory commission (URC), public utilities commission (PUC), or public service commission (PSC) is a governing body that regulates the rates and services of a public utility, such as an electric utility. In some cases, government bodies with the title "public service commission" may be civil service oversight bodies, rather than utilities regulators.

In Canada, a public utilities commission (PUC) is a public utility owned and operated by a municipal or local government under the oversight of one or more elected commissioners. It is not a regulatory body. Its role is analogous to a municipal utility district or public utility district in the US.

Regulatory bodies

The utility that is being regulated may be owned by the consumers that it serves, a mutual utility like a public utility district, a state-owned utility, or it may be a stockholder owned utility either publicly traded on a stock exchange or closely held among just a few investors.

These utilities often operate as legal monopolies, which means that they do not compete in a marketplace but are instead regulated by commissions to ensure fair pricing.

Countries

• Caribbean: Organization of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) [1]
• Costa Rica: Costa Rica Public Utilities Commission [2]
• Dominican Republic: c Utilities Commission
• Bahamas: Bahamas Public Utilities Commission [3]
• Belize: Belize Public Utilities Commission [4]
• Chile: Superintendencia de Servicios Sanitarios de Chile [5]
• France: Commission de Régulation de l'Energie [6]
• Ghana: Public Utility Regulation Council of Ghana (PURC) [7]
• Sri Lanka: Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka [8]

United States

Elected by district

• New Mexico Public Regulation Commission [9]

Elected at-large

• Alabama Public Service Commission [10]
• Arizona Corporation Commission [11]
• Georgia Public Service Commission [12]
• Louisiana Public Service Commission [13]
• Mississippi Public Service Commission [14]
• Montana Public Service Commission [15]
• Nebraska Public Service Commission [16]
• North Dakota Public Service Commission [17]
• Oklahoma Corporation Commission [18]
• South Dakota Public Utilities Commission [19]

Legislative appointment

• South Carolina Public Service Commission [20]
• Virginia State Corporation Commission [21]

Appointed by the governor

• Regulatory Commission of Alaska [22]
• Arkansas Public Service Commission [23]
• California Public Utilities Commission (www.cpuc.ca.gov)
• Colorado Public Utilities Commission (www.dora.state.co.us/puc/)
• Connecticut
  • Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (www.ct.gov/deep/)
  • Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (www.ct.gov/pura/)
  • Connecticut Siting Council (www.ct.gov/csc/)
• Delaware Public Service Commission [24]
• D.C., Washington
  • District of Columbia Public Service Commission (www.dcpsc.org/)
  • Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission (www.wmatc.gov/)
• Florida Public Service Commission [25]
• Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (www.hawaii.gov/budget/puc/)
• Idaho Public Utilities Commission [26]
• Illinois Commerce Commission [27]
• Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission [28]
• Iowa Utilities Board [29]
• Kansas Corporation Commission [30]
• Kentucky Public Service Commission [31]
• Maine Public Utilities Commission (www.maine.gov/mpuc/)
• Maryland Public Service Commission (www.psc.state.md.us/psc/)
• Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (www.mass.gov/dpu/)
  • Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable (www.mass.gov/dtc/)
• Michigan Public Service Commission (www.michigan.gov/mpsc/)
• Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (www.puc.state.mn.us/)
• Missouri Public Service Commission [32]
• Nevada Public Utilities Commission [33]
• New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (puc.state.nh.us/)
• New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (www.bpu.state.nj.us/)
• New York Public Service Commission (www.dps.ny.gov/)
• North Carolina Utilities Commission [34]
• Public Utilities Commission of Ohio [35]
• Oregon Public Utility Commission (www.puc.state.or.us/)
• Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (www.puc.state.pa.us/)
• Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (www.ripuc.ri.gov/)
• Tennessee Public Service Commission (1897-1996); Tennessee Regulatory Authority (since 1996)
• Texas Public Utility Commission [36]
• Utah Public Service Commission [37]
• Vermont
  • Vermont Department of Public Service (publicservice.vermont.gov/)
  • Vermont Public Utility Commission (puc.vermont.gov/)
• Virgin Islands Public Services Commission (www.psc.vi.gov/)
• Washington
• Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (www.wutc.wa.gov/)
• West Virginia Public Service Commission [38]
• Wisconsin Public Service Commission [39]
• Wyoming Public Service Commission [40]

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners [41] is the national association representing the interests of the public utilities commissions in all 50 states. The Interstate Commerce Commission and Federal Communications Commission perform similar functions in their respective fields in the United States.

Canada

• Ontario Energy Board [42]
• British Columbia Utilities Commission [43]

External links

• Public Service Commissioner (state executive office) - List of current commissioners from Ballotpedia
• List of regulatory commissions by state compiled by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.