On January 28, 1999, the Public Service Commission issued
three orders indicating its intent to examine the quality
of service provided by the District's utility companies in
four separate proceedings. The Commission opened a new docket
(Formal Case No. 977) to examine to quality of service provided
by Washington Gas. PEPCO's quality of service will be examined
in the context of Formal Case No. 945,
an existing proceeding investigating electric services, market
competition and regulatory policies in the District. BA-DC's
quality of service will be examined in the context of the
Quality of Service Working Group established as a part of
Formal Case No. 814, Phase III. Finally, the quality of service
provided by competitive local exchange (telecommunications)
carriers will be examined in the context of Formal
Case No. 962, an existing proceeding regarding competition
in the District's local telecommunications market.
The
Commission's orders were in response to OPC's request for
a Commission investigation of the quality of service provided
by the District's utilities filed on November 25, 1997. OPC's
filing was the result of an increase in the number of complaints
and telephone inquiries it receives from D.C. consumers expressing
frustration about the quality of service provided by the utilities.
In
January 1998, OPC held four Quality
of Service Forums to allow consumers to voice their concerns.
OPC's ultimate goal is to reexamine the Commission's rules
and regulations with an eye toward the implementation of new
rules and regulations which will allow consumers to obtain
immediate regulatory relief when the quality of service provided
by the utilities is inadequate.
It
goes without saying that all consumers are concerned about
the quality of service provided by utility companies. Respectful
and knowledgeable customer service representatives, experienced
and efficient service technicians and repair clerks, convenient,
full-service payment centers, and less frequent outages (i.e.
reliability) are all important quality of service issues which
become even more important in a competitive environment. Consumers
should continue to contact the Office about concerns they
have and participate in any community hearings the Commission
may schedule.