Selection of the 18 jury members took place after the telephone survey was completed. The jury was constituted to be representative sample of Minnesota's population with regard to race, age, gender, location, education occupation, and attitudes. Attitudes were determined by the telephone survey. In Minnesota Electric utility regulation was implemented more than 60 years ago, to stop unfettered monoplies and chaotic, dangerous and unfair practices. Today, electric utilities have exclusive, state-granted franchises as the only providers of electricity in their service areas.
Electric utilities operate free from retail competition.
In exchange, utilities are obligated to serve all customers in the service territory. Although regulatory commissions determine the rates they may charge, utilities are virtually guaranteed to recover their investments, plus an opportunity to earn a profit through regulated rates. Now, large industrial customers and private utilities want to be able to buy or sell electricity to anyone, anywhere. Big electric users want to shop around for the cheapest rates. In response, a coalition of labor, consumer groups, rural electric cooperatives, senior citizens and low-income consumers, municipal utilities, and environmentalists formed the Minnesota Electric Public Interest Alliance.