After a year of in-depth study and review, the CECA Electric Industry Restructuring Forum, convened by the Consumer Energy Council of America (CECA), concluded that in those states that have competition, residential and small business consumers must receive electric power service at stable and equitable prices.

CECA President Ellen Berman said, “New products and services can and should be offered to consumers regardless of whether the state has retained its traditional regulated electric power service or opened its market to competition.”

CECA Forum Chair Robert W. Fri noted, “Consumers will benefit from upgrades to the transmission system — the backbone of the electric power-delivery system — to meet the increasing demands of the digital economy.”

The CECA Forum recognized that many hurdles must be overcome before the nation's electric power system can be modernized to meet the increasing demands of consumers in the years to come. The forum's deliberations resulted in a landmark report that provides recommendations to policymakers. Among the CECA's key recommendations are:

• Consumers can and should have choices of services and products in all states regardless of whether the state has restructured its electric power market.

• Residential and small business consumers, especially low-income consumers, must be protected from price spikes in electric power service, while large commercial and industrial consumers are better able to respond to price and availability fluctuations.

• In states that have opened their electric market to competition, standard service should be available to those who do not want to change their provider, or those who change their provider and then are either dissatisfied with their choice or their provider leaves the market.

• In states that have opened their markets to competition, the standard service price should be the benchmark against which competitive offers are provided.

• If designed properly, programs that provide incentives for consumers to alter their energy use can result in increased efficiency, lower costs and greater system reliability.

• The nation's transmission system is aging and needs to be upgraded through technological enhancements to meet the needs of consumers in a digital economy.
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