About the Public Utilities Commission
General Trends and Activities
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) monitors industry and consumer trends on an ongoing basis. Understanding these trends helps the Commission to better understand the future and direction of public utilities in Colorado. During 2006, the following trends developed or continued in Colorado and will be watched during the next year.
Security
Awareness
There remains heightened security awareness among the public utilities
and the Commission concerning security and safety in Colorado. The
Commission continues to identify critical infrastructures and facilities,
as well as watch the development of enhanced physical and cyber
security measures. There is widespread agreement that there must
be a cooperative and collaborative effort among the public and private
sectors, particularly at the regional, state and local levels. One
concern is that federal and state open records laws do not provide
sufficient legal protections to prevent the inappropriate disclosure
of sensitive information. The Commission will continue to work with
all affected parties to insure that all Coloradans have access to
services that are expected and necessary in daily life.
Consumer
Privacy
Coloradans continue to be concerned with privacy issues. Over 2.7
million residential, wireless and fax telephone numbers have been
added to the Colorado No-Call List. Additionally, numbers added
to the National Do Not Call Registry are retrieved and added to
the Colorado No-Call List. This information is shared with telemarketers
doing business in Colorado.
Trends and Activities within Various Utility Sectors
Telecommunications
In the telecommunications sector, customers appear to like innovation
and data speeds in addition to their basic local service. How customers
obtain basic telephone service is changing. For example, there is
a movement away from subscribing to traditional landline service.
Many young customers who grew up with cell phones are relying solely
on wireless for their telecommunication services; others use wireless
to meet their long distance needs. Customers are experimenting with
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services and it is expected
that more customers will do this now that the Federal Communications
Commission has mandated that customers must be able to access 9-1-1
using VOIP. Customers are demanding high-speed digital service,
which allows more telecommuting and ability to live away from urban
centers. Providers are trying to meet the various needs of customers
by providing an array of bundled services offered by a variety of
means. For example, a single company may offer a customer a bundled
package including wireless, landline, digital subscriber line services,
and television. These trends continue to add to the financial risk
of the telecommunications companies and continue to result in many
mergers and consolidation of companies.
Energy Sector
Consumers recently approved a referendum that requires investor-owned
electric companies to use a certain amount of renewables in meeting
energy needs. The statute changes were implemented through a PUC
rulemaking, which established the process by which qualifying retail
utilities must gradually increase their reliance on renewable energy
resources over the next 10 years. The referendum defined renewable
energy resources as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, small hydroelectricity
and hydrogen fuel cells.
In other energy news, consumers still are dealing with high natural gas prices as the commodity price continues to rise. New transmission lines, which enable natural gas to be transported out-of-state more easily has contributed to Coloradans paying more for natural gas. Informing customers about commodity price fluctuations was also the rationale of the PUC approving a pilot program that will allow customers to reduce consumption of electricity during the summer peak load period. The program, offered to Denver-Metro and Boulder customers, will provide customers better price signals, encourage efficient consumption, and evaluate the public's acceptance of such a program and whether such a program can be cost-effective.
The population growth in the state has resulted in infrastructure investments by energy utilities for generation facilities. Numerous rate cases have been filed to recover these expenses in base rates.
Additionally,
consumers are becoming more active and vocal about the siting of
electric transmission lines. These cases have had more interveners
than in the past as Xcel Energy has asked the PUC to include in
its rulings whether the electromagnetic fields and noise levels
that would result from the operation of lines are reasonable.
Motor Carrier
The PUC, working with the National Conference of State Transportation Specialists and in cooperation with the motor carrier industry, successfully lobbied for federal legislation to enact the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement (UCR), which is a system that requires registration and the payment of fees by all motor carriers, motor private carriers, freight forwarders, brokers, and leasing companies that are involved in interstate commerce. State legislation was passed in 2006 establishing the PUC as the agency that administers the UCR in Colorado. Revenues derived from the UCR are used for motor carrier safety programs, enforcement, and administration of the UCR.
Some motor carriers of passengers continue to obtain interstate authorities from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that grant intrastate authority under certain circumstances. In a 2007 decision by the United States District Court regarding the PUC's jurisdiction, the court expanded the circumstances under which intrastate transportation could be provided under the interstate authorities.
Legislation was passed in 2009 that deregulated property carriers from PUC jurisdiction and moved insurance oversight to the Colorado State Patrol.
The PUC continues to broaden its public education and enforcement efforts with regard to consumer protection in the household goods moving industry and with regard to non-consensual tows of motor vehicles.
Pipeline
Safety
In its on-going partnership with the Federal Office of Pipeline
Safety, the PUC adopts, as required, the federal pipeline safety
rules as amended. The Federal-State Certification agreement requires
the adoption of minimum safety standards, including but not limited
to: establishing criteria and prescribing safety standards that
identify gas pipeline facilities located in high-density population
areas, and operator qualification requirements for a pipeline operator's
employees and their contractors.
Rail/Transit
Safety
Since voters approved the implementation of FasTracks in 2004, there
has been continued expansion of the RTD light rail system. The PUC
participates in technical advisory committee activities and assists
in preparation of any highway-rail crossing applications. The PUC
also is active in the safety review of any design.
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