Opinion ID: 877457
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: informational rights of the psc and the consumer counsel

Text: It should be noted that in our protective order, we have placed no fetters upon the rights of the PSC and the Consumer Counsel to obtain from Mountain Bell all information, including trade secret data, upon which its application for increased revenues is based. The police power of this state in the regulation of public utilities is sufficient basis to justify the unhampered rights of these state agencies to receive such information. We have confirmed the rights of these agencies to hold the information in their office files. Any party to the ratemaking process shall have access to the trade secret information to be used by their expert witnesses in the ratemaking determination. Further dissemination of the information we leave to the discretion of the PSC, to be released, or not released, in the exercise by the PSC of its ratemaking functions. We have thus balanced the rights that all citizens acquired under the right to know provision of the state constitution with the purpose and function for which our laws compel disclosure by utilities of trade secrets. The right to know provision was designed to prevent the elevation of a state czar or oligarchy; it was not designed for, nor will we substitute, the tyranny of a proletariat. By our holding here we have declared that the PSC and utilities appearing before it are not presented a Hobson's choice. The utility can hold and enjoy its private property to the extent not necessary to be divulged in the ratemaking process. The Consumer Counsel, representing the consuming public, has full access to the necessary information. Any other citizen, under our order, may also have access to the trade secret, provided his or her interest relates to the ratemaking function of the PSC. The judgment of the District Court is reversed. This opinion shall be a declaratory judgment on the rights of the parties. We retain jurisdiction of this proceedings as recited in the attached order. No costs to any party. HASWELL, C.J., DALY, MORRISON, WEBER and HARRISON, JJ., and ROBERT M. HOLTER, District Judge, [] concur.