Opinion ID: 1679070
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Promotional Practices

Text: A SLECA employee testified that streetlight standards were installed in the subdivision at no cost to the developer. The cost to SLECA was $2365.45. That employee testified that SLECA has not charged any developers within its territory for streetlight standards since 1971, the inception of this general policy. LP&L contends that this practice constitutes a promotional practice proscribed by the General Order of March 12, 1974. That order prohibits a public utility from giving a preference or prize for the purpose of enticing someone to deal with that utility in preference to the service of any other public utility. In Central Louisiana Electric Co. v. Louisiana Public Service Commission, supra, this court was confronted with the issue of whether a utility violated this order by installing underground facilities, yet charging customers the price of less expensive overhead facilities. This court affirmed the Public Service Commission's conclusion that no violation of the order occurred. The evidence in that case revealed that this was part of a comprehensive service policy, and that the policy was applied uniformly, even in areas where there was no competition for customers. We find the same type of policy to exist in the present case. Thus, the Public Service Commission did not err in failing to hold that SLECA violated the General Order. For the foregoing reasons, the judgments of the Louisiana Public Service Commission and the district court are affirmed. Costs of this appeal are to be paid by the appellant.