The Court's ruling affirms our position. The Court has created a banner day for Ohio consumers with this ruling. Local service rate decreases already realized under the 'Advantage Ohio' plan can be kept in place by Ameritech simply filing for a rate decrease, which does not even require a public hearing. Ameritech, however, is still not entitled to alternative regulation until its markets are competitive. In finding that the PUCO exceeded its statutory authority when it approved the Ameritech plan, the Court acknowledged the PUCO, in violation of its own rules, excluded an entire customer class from settlement talks.
Regulation is a surrogate for competition.
Without competition, regulation is the only protection consumers have from powerful monopolies. All rights reserved.