Blog Index
2010
July
PULP Closure Imminent as Legislature Nears Completion of Budget Without Appropriating Funds for PULP - 07-02-2010
June
National Grid Proposes Applying Additional $ to its Low Income Program for its New York City Natural Gas Customers - 06-25-2010
100 Million Americans Are on the Wrong Side of the Digital Divide - 06-25-2010
Assembly Resists Proposal to Shift Hydropower Benefits from Residential Customers - 06-23-2010
Maryland PSC Rejects Utility's $835 Million "Smart Meter" Plan - 06-22-2010
Rent Stabilized Tenants Oppose Coop Plan to Replace Con Edison with Submetered Electric Service - 06-21-2010
PSC Proposes to Ease Service Quality Requirements for Verizon - 06-18-2010
TracFone Lifeline Phones Sold on Craigslist - 06-18-2010
DOJ Asks Court to Approve Proposed Settlement of KeySpan Antitrust Case Despite Consumer, Utility, and Government Opposition - 06-17-2010
AARP, Consumers Union, and PULP Oppose Reallocation of Cheap Niagara Hydropower from Residential Customers - 06-15-2010
PULP's Funding and Future Still in Jeopardy - 06-11-2010
Oceangate Tenants Reply to Owner's Defense of Submetering - 06-11-2010
Colorado Governor Vetoes VoIP Deregulation Bill - 06-11-2010
FCC Begins Exploring Lifeline for Broadband- 06-11-2010
The Topsy Turvy World of Lifeline Enrollment in New York - 06-04-2010
Verizon Asks PSC for Permission to Stop Delivering White Pages - 06-4-2010
Raiding Niagara - 06-02-2010
May
FCC Finds Wireless Customers Suffer from Bill Shock; Early Termination Fees Are Still an Issue - 05-28-2010
HUD Directs Roll-Back of Submetering at Yonkers Riverview II - 05-27-2010
Anne Mead, First PSC Chairwoman and Former PULP Board Member, Dies at 86 - 05-24-2010
Maine PUC Staff Calls for Regulation of VoIP - 05-21-2010
AARP Objects to Proposed Settlement by U.S. of Antitrust Case Against Kesypan for Inflating NYISO Charges - 05-19-2010
GIPA Files for Rehearing of FERC Decision on Cohoes Hydro Project - 05-18-2010
OTDA Announces Second Regular HEAP Payments: $100 to Utilities, $200 to Vendors of Delivered Fuel -5-17-2010
FCC: Low Income New Yorkers Still Struggling to Afford Phone Service - 05-14-2010
Nearly One-Quarter of All Americans Have Cut the Cord; PSC Losing Clout - 05-14-2010
New York's HEAP Household Energy Assistance Programs Closing May 14 - 05-12-2010
Yonkers Riverview II Files Revised Procedures to Evict Tenants for Alleged Nonpayment of Bills for Submetered Electric Service - 05-11-2010
Oceangate Tenants File Comments on Submetering - 05-11-2010
State Budget Not in Sight - 05-07-2010
The FCCStops TracFone from Backing Away from State 911 Requirements - 05-07-2010
FCC Orders Review of Lifeline Programs; NY May Need to Improve - 05-07-2010
April
Citing Delays, PULP Asks for Review of PSC Complaint Handling Process - 04-29-2010
AARP Urges State Senate to Save PULP - 04-23-2010
PSC Tells FCC to Require VoIP Providers to Pay to Access Local Networks - 04-22-2010
PSC Rejects Industrial Customers' Effort to Supplant Utility Charges for Energy Efficiency Programs with RGGI Funds - 04-20-2010
Budget “Extenders” Won't Solve Non-Profits' Problems Due to Late State Budget - 04-16-2010
State Budget Impasse Threatens PULP's Future - 04-09-2010
Warm Winter and Lower Prices Ease Heating Bills for Gas and Electric Customers, while Oil and Propane Users Suffer from Higher Prices - 04-06-2010
Passion for Electricity Submetering in Subsidized Housing Cools in Toronto - 04-01-2010
As Poverty Continues its Tight Grip on New York State, Utilities Increase Interruptions of Electric and Natural Gas Service to Collect Bills - 04-01-2010
March
Fourth Department Finds Payment Agreement Signed Under Duress After Water Service was Shut Off Does Not Bar Suit to Recover Disputed Charges - 03-29-2010
GAO Finds "Energy Star" Ratings Inadequately Audited - 03-26-2010
A Consensus on Telephone Service Quality 03-26-2010
Grid/Keyspan Releases Low Income Gas Rate Discount Reports, but Not All News is Good - 03-24-2010
Yonkers Riverview II Tenants Seek Rehearing of PSC Order Continuing Submetering of Electric Heat - 03-22-2010
Consistent and Persistent - 03-18-2010
FCC Launches National Broadband Plan; Includes Focus on Affordability - 03-18-2010
Study Finds No Discernible Difference in Tenant Energy Usage When HUD Public Housing is Submetered - 03-15-2010
PSC Greenlights Eviction of Tenants for Nonpayment of Electric Bills - 03-12-2010
New York PSC Supports California’s Request for Access to FCC’s Outage Reporting Data - 03-10-2010
Coalition Urges FERC to Examine Electricity Sellers' Costs and Revenues in Wholesale Power Markets - 03-09-2010
Maryland Reconsiders Electricity Deregulation - 03-09-2010
The Cure for Verizon’s Service Quality Woes? Change the Way the Standards Are Measured - 03-04-2010
On a PACE to a Greener Future? Are Property Assessed Clean Energy Bonds the Solution to Weatherization and Green Jobs? - 03-04-2010
PSC and DHCR Stonewalling on FOIL Requests Regarding Conversion of Electrically Heated Oceangate Project to Submetering - 03-04-2010
New York PSC Allows Owners to Give Defective Notice of Submetering Applications,Thwarting Tenant Participation in Conversions to Submetering - 03-04-2010
Does A Submetering Tax Dodge Give Landlords Incentive to Set Low Utility Allowances and Displace Tenants in Federally Subsidized Housing? - 03-03-2010
February
NY Assembly Passes Bill Limiting Ex Parte Communications in PSC Adjudicatory Proceedings - 02-24-2010
FCC Consumer Survey Supports PULP'S Findings That Affordability Is Key Factor in Broadband Deployment - 02-24-2010
New York Consumers Could Save $518 Per Year if Energy Efficiency Policies are Adopted - 02-24-2010
KeySpan Agrees to $12 Million Settlement of DOJ Antitrust Claims it Manipulated NYISO Electric Capacity Market Prices - 02-23-2010
Verizon Service Quality Continues to Lag; Company Proposes Solution - 02-22-2010
FCC Releases Less-than-Useful Broadband Deployment Data - 02-22-2010
Oceangate Submetering on Hold Pending PSC Review of Tenant Petition for Stay and Impact Assessment - 02-20-2010
Town House West Tenants Seek PSC Ruling to Clarify Tax Issues in Setting Rates for Submetered Electric Service - 02-19-2010
Nebraska Supreme Court: State Can Assess 911 Fee on TracFone Wireless Services - 02-19-2010
Water Shutoff Issues Boil Over in Syracuse - 02-19-2010
PULP Expresses Concerns with State HEAP Program, Proposes Improvements, Transparency and Public Scrutiny of Utility Vendor Agreements - 02-19-2010
Syracuse Tenants Protest City Water Shutoff Policies - 02-17-2010
Who Will Benefit from Federal Subsidy of Nuclear Power Renaissance? - 02-16-2010
Has the New York PSC Found a Way to Assess Wireless Providers? - 02-12-2010
Hazel Towers Tenants Ask PSC Again for Stay and Outside Audit of Submetering After New Overcharges - 02-12-2010
ESCO Claims Locking in its 28% Higher Rate is "Smart" and "Practical" - 02-11-2010
Austin, Texas Automatically Enrolls Low-Income Customers for Reduced Utility Rates - 02-10-2010
Comments to OTDA on Next Year's HEAP Plan Due February 17, 2010 - 02-10-2010
PSC Sets Schedule for Consideration of Oceangate Tenants' Petition to Halt Submetering - 02-09-2010
The Untaxed NYISO "Virtual" Market - 02-05-2010
PSC Tells FCC it Wants to Share Jurisdiction over Future Network, but Does Little Now - 02-04-2010
Latest FCC Statistics Reveal Shrinking Telephone Subscribership in New York - 02-04-2010
FCC Clarifies Lifeline Eligibility and Verification Rules for Wireless Providers, but Creates a Two-tier System - 02-04-2010
January
PSC Sued By Landlord Over Stay of Electric Submetering at Manhattan Apartment Buildings - 01-30-2010
Oceangate Tenants Ask PSC and DHCR to Halt Submetering and Conduct Environmental Impact Assessment Under SEQRA - 01-28-2010
NYSBA Task Force on Global Warming Recommendations Pose Risks to Lower Income Consumers - 01-27-2010
TracFone Is Now New York’s Largest Telephone Lifeline Provider 01-27-2010
FERC ALJ Finds Amaranth Trader Manipulated Natural Gas Markets 01-23-2010
New York City Closes ESCO Electric Service Sales Tax Loophole; Will Other Localities and New York State be Next? - 01-22-2010
Assurance Wireless (Virgin Mobile) Offers Wireless Lifeline in New York - 01-21-2010
Activist Supreme Court Reaches Out to Limit Consumer Objections to Wholesale Power Rates - 01-15-2010
Report: Verizon to Double FiOS Early Termination Fee - 01-15-2010
PSC Creates New Office of Consumer Policy - 01-12-2010
Auburn Municipal Water User Opposes City's Motion to End Litigation Over Constitutionality of Termination and Denial Practices - 01-11-2010
NYSERDA Proposes to Revise Allocation of $301.6 Million RGGI Proceeds - 01-11-2010
Two New York Groups Receive Stimulus Funding for Broadband Projects; PULP Awaits the Fate of its Proposal - 01-08-2010
FCC: Verizon Service Quality Worse than Other Regional Bells - 01-08-2010
Public Comment Sought on Proposal to Settle Lawsuit Claiming RGGI "Cap and Trade" Scheme is Illegal with RGGI Funds and Con Ed Customer Money01-08-2010
Vulnerability of "Smart Meters" to Malicious Computer Hacking 01-06-2010
Cable VoIP Phone Providers to Start Collecting E-911 Surcharge - 01-06-2010
Importance of Continued, Affordable Energy Underscored by Detroit Fire Deaths After Electricity Shutoff - 01-06-2010
Senators Casey and Specter Ask FERC to Scrutinize Wholesale Electricity Prices as Pennsylvania's Retail Price Caps Disappear - 01-04-2010
2009
December
AARP Calls for Reform of NYISO and Its Electricity Spot Markets - 12-18-2009
Tiffany Mews Tenants Respond to Landlord's Defense of Submetering - 12-17-2009
PSC Modifies Final Disconnect Notice Requirements for Verizon’s Customers - 12-17-2009
New FCC Telephone Subscribership Statistics Reveal Shortcomings in New York - 12-17-2009
GAO Report: Nowhere to Turn -- FCC Not Protecting Wireless Consumers, While New York PSC Abstains - 12-14-2009
New York City Approves Plan for More Submetering - 12-11-2009
ESCOs Propose to "Educate" Central Hudson Customers with $500,000 Postcards Touting Utility Choice - 12-09-2009
California Senate Leader Blocks Reconfirmation of Pro Deregulation Utility Commissioner Supported by Verizon and AT&T - 12-09-2009
Iberdrola Names Former NYISO CEO to be President of NYSEG/RG&E- 12-09-2009
Auburn Tenant Seeks Judgment that Water Termination was Unconstitutional - 12-04-2009
Post Standard Calls for Openness on Cost of Plans for "Smart Meters" and "Smart Grid" Projects - 12-04-2009
NYISO Tenth Anniversary Marked by High Prices and High Costs - 12-02-2009
November
FERC Closes to Save Energy - 11-28-2009
Utilities Ask PSC to Keep Data on ESCOs Secret - 11-25-2009
Niagara Mohawk dba National Grid Seeks Continued Secrecy on Cost of Its "Smart Grid" Proposals - 11-25-2009
Universal Telephone Service Reform Slowly Begins in New York State High Court Upholds Decision Denying Refunds in Inmate Phone Rate Case - 11-24-2009
State High Court Upholds Decision Denying Refunds in Inmate Phone Rate Case - 11-24-2009
Will "Smart" Meters Pass The Test of Time? - 11-24-2009
Private Utility Assistance Programs for New York's Low Income Customers - 11-24-2009
California Report Shows Rising Number of Disconnections of Low Income Utility Customers - 11-20-2009
FERC Requires Identification of Sellers in Market Abuse Case - 11-20-2009
Vonage Agrees to $3 Million Settlement over its Business Practices - 11-19-2009
Hard Questions About "Green" Electricity - 11-18-2009
PULP "Winter Extra" Guide to HEAP Now Online - 11-12-2009
Landlord Discloses Submetering Company "AMPS" Conducted Unauthorized Time of Use Pricing Experiments on Tiffany Mews Tenants - 11-12-2009
Con Edison Seeks 16.6% Natural Gas Delivery Rate Increase from Residential Heating Customers - 11-09-2009
Consumer Groups Call on Congress and FERC to Protect Consumers and Investigate Rising Utility Costs Due to Deregulation - 11-05-2009
NY City Maps of Con Edison Shocks and Stray Voltage Available - 11-04-2009
Riverview II Tenants Rebut Owner's Opposition to Request to Stay Submetering - 11-03-2009
New York Deregulation Failing, Says Central Hudson Executive - 11-02-2009
FERC Asks Supreme Court to Limit Maine's Challenge to Wholesale Utility Rates in NRG Power Marketing Case - 11-02-2009
October
Virgin Mobile Latest to Offer Lifeline in New York, but Will its Customers Be Protected? - 10-30-2009
Hazel Towers Tenant Association Seeks Review of PSC Submetering Decision - 10-30-2009
Ninth Circuit: AT&T Wireless Can't Bar Class Action Suits - 10-30-2009
Pennsylvania Regulators Halt Expensive "Smart Meter" Plan - 10-29-2009
Consumer Uprising Against California Smart Meter Program - 10-28-2009
Illinois Governor Appoints Community Action Leader to Illinois Commerce Commission - 10-27-2009
Telephone Lifeline for Residents of Homeless Shelters - 10-27-2009
City Water Customers Need HEFPA Protections - 10-23-2009
OTDA Implements Amendment Easing Repayment Terms for Emergency Utility Assistance - 10-22-2009
Should There Be a Legal Right to Broadband? Finland Thinks So. - 10-22-2009
PULP Urges Assembly to Reject Governor's Proposal to Cut PULP Funding - 10-21-2009
Governor Proposes Slash to Civil Legal Services, PULP Funding - 10-20-2009
NY PSC Mum on FCC Telecom Consumer Information Proceeding - 10-15-2009
Past Recipients Can Mail In 2009 - 2010 HEAP Applications - 10-15-2009
Ohio Governor Halts Utility "Free" Efficient Bulb Program after Customers Get Smart About "Revenue Decoupling" - 10-15-2009
Yonkers Riverview II Tenants Again Ask PSC to Halt Submetering - 10-14-2009
Electric Car Chargers Present Regulatory and Jurisdictional Issues - 10-13-2009
NY PSC Staff Issues Universal Service Fund Reports, Supports Need for Immediate Action - 10-09-2009
Florida Governor Shakes Up PSC After Ex Parte Communications via Blackberry Text Messaging - 10-08-2009
Ontario Electricity Board Bans Landlord Submetering of Electricity Without Energy Audits, Transparency, and Specific, Informed Tenant Consent - 10-02-2009
September
OTDA Requires Suffolk County to Provide Emergency Utility Assistance - 09-30-2009
Staff Report Released after State Senate Hearing on Telecom Taxes; Acknowledges Need for Consumer Protections for Telecom Customers - 09-30-2009
FERC Commissioner Kelly Quitting - 09-25-2009
PULP Updates Telephone Consumer Protection Materials - 09-25-2009
Value of ESCO Service Questioned - 09-21-2009
Groups Ask Governor Paterson to Support Alternative Plan for Cohoes Falls Hydro Project - 09-21-2009
NYSEG, RG&E File New Rates for Electric and Gas Service Seeking Major Increases; Proposing Improved Low-Income Customer Protections - 09-17-2009
PSC Launches Proceeding to Examine Future of Universal Telephone Service - 09-17-2009
PSC Stops Submetering at Four Buildings, Sets New Standards to Address Tenant Concerns - 09-17-2009
Updated Telephone Lifeline and Shared Meter Chapters Added to PULP's Online Manual - 09-17-2009
Niagara Mohawk Withdraws Request to Delay Mobile Scanning for Stray Voltage in Upstate Cities - 09-16-2009
Lifeline Awareness Week Begins Monday - Is There Anything for New York to Celebrate? - 09-11-2009
PSC Tells FCC to Permit States to Assess VOIP for State Universal Service Funds - 09-11-2009
Equipment Donation Needed - 09-11-2009
Niagara Mohawk Allowed to Keep Cost of "Smart Grid" Proposal Secret - 09-11-2009
NYISO Admits its "Market Problem" Allows "100% Or More" Overcharges Due to "An Abuse of Market Power," Proposes Rule Change, No Refunds - 09-05-2009
PSC Once Again Tells FCC to Let Market Take Lead on Broadband While the Market Continues to Fail Customers - 09-04-2009
Town House West Tenants Association Files Supplemental Complaint Against Stellar Management's New, Unfiled Conditions of Submetered Electric Service - 09-02-2009
NYPA Holding Hearings on Reduced Hydropower Allocation for Residential Customers - 09-02-2009
August
FCC Considering New Consumer Information Rules - 08-31-2009
Last Year's Spiking Natural Gas and Electric Prices - 08-31-2009
N.Y. Times Perpetuates Myth Supporting Unjust Submetering Regime - 08-28-2009
Verizon Service Quality Performance Lags - 08-27-2009
Hazel Towers Tenants to Receive $20,000 Credits of Landlord's Overcharges for Submetered Electric Service - 08-26--2009
Townhouse West Tenants Win Three-Month Reprieve from Submetering Charges - 08-26-2009
Elected Officials Voice Concern to PSC and NYSERDA Over Submetering of Former Mitchell Lama Projects - 08-21-2009
PULP Applies to NTIA for Stimulus Funds to Expand Broadband Opportunities for Low and Fixed Income Consumers - 08-21-2009
Hazel Towers Tenants File Reply to Owner's Request to Dismiss Petition Seeking to Halt Submetering - 08-18-2009
Niagara Mohawk Must Divulge Cost Data Regarding Proposed "Smart Grid - Smart Meter" Projects - 08-18-2009
Yonkers Tenants Win Reprieve from Eviction While Fighting Landlord's Electric Bills - 08-14-2009
New FCC Telephone Penetration Statistics Reveal Problems in New York - 08-14-2009
PULP Testifies at State Senate Hearing on Telecom Taxes - 08-14-2009
Draft State Energy Plan Issued - 08-11-2009
Second Circuit Requires Further Consideration of Cohoes Falls Options - 08-11-2009
Tenants Struggle to Maintain Utility Service in Owner-Abandoned Building in Foreclosure -08-06-2009
PSC to Revisit Telecom Universal Service Policies - 08-06-2009
Are Utilities Overreaching and Terminating Service to Collect Old Bills After Welfare Payments are Received? - 08-06-2009
Lifeline Awareness Week Coming in September; Will it Make a Difference? - 08-05-2009
July
Tiffany Mews Tenants Ask PSC to Halt Submetering with No Proper Order and No Filed Tariff or Contracts Approved by the PSC - 07-31-2009
FCC’S Inspector General Withdraws Finding That All Low Income USF Payments Were Erroneous - 07-31-2009
After Submeterer Can't Evict for Unpaid Electric Bills, Bay City Metering Asks PSC to Revise Order to Allow Service Termination - 07-28-2009
PSC Finds No Evidence of Delay in Handling Hazel Towers Tenant Complaints Regarding Submetering - 07-28-2009
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Says FCC has been “Beholden” to the Telecom Industry it is Charged to Regulate - 07-24-2009
Parker Towers Tenants Still Waiting for PSC Action on Petition - 07-23-2009
Bronx Riverview Tenants Ask PSC to Halt Submetering - 07-21-2009
Town House West Tenants Ask PSC to Halt Submetering - 07-21-2009
Powerless: Low-Income Households Facing Termination of Service with No Remedies - 07-17-2009
Out of the Loop: FERC Finds No Gaming, No Manipulation, and No Remedy in Lake Erie Loop Flow Case - 07-17-2009
Report Highlights Costs and Consumer Burdens from “Cap and Trade” Greenhouse Gas Programs - 07-15-2009
Inadequate Attention to Impact of Renewables Mandates on Low-Income Customers - 07-15-2009
Test Your Internet Speed at CWA Website and Compare it with Broadband Speed in Other Countries - 07-10-2009
Time to Apply for Broadband Grants Has Arrived - 07-10-2009
Why is Submetering Attractive to Apartment Owners? - 07-10-2009
PSC Continues Stay to Submetering at Four Former Mitchell-Lama Projects - 07-10-2009
New Leadership Brings Needed Changes to FCC and National Broadband Policy - 07-09-2009
Rent Reductions In Submetered Buildings - 07-07-2009
PSC Implements 2% Assessment on Energy Utilities; Rebuffs PULP’s Request to Protect Low Income Customers - 07-02-2009
PSC Rips HEFPA Safety Net for Utility Applicants with Arrears from a Prior Period of Service - 07-01-2009
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