Staying Fit
AARP is fighting to make sure utility customers in every state have a strong voice, in the form of state consumer advocate offices. These offices represent the interests of utility customers before regulatory agencies and the courts. They work to:
- Protect the pocketbooks of consumers from unfair rate increases
- Make sure utility services are reliable — especially during bad weather and other emergencies
AARP has fought for years in state legislatures across the country to establish and sufficiently fund independent federal and state utility consumer advocate offices. We then fight to hold these offices accountable — to make sure they’re working for you.
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Today, most states and the District of Columbia have created consumer advocate offices.
- Where the offices do not exist, AARP continues to fight for their establishment.
- Where the offices are in place, we fight to fully fund and strengthen them — to make sure the offices are working for you.
In 2013, we fought to create and strengthen consumer advocate offices in many places; Delaware and Wyoming are examples of how AARP made sure the interests of residential utility consumers come first.
See Also: AARP Blog: 3 Billion Saved — for You
Delaware Strengthens Office of the Public Advocate
In Delaware, AARP was instrumental in crafting a major change to the activities and scope of the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA).
AARP fought for a significant change in the Public Advocate’s duties, to ensure they primarily represented residential consumers in utility cases appearing before the Public Service Commission. Previously the Public Advocate had a dual role, also representing small businesses. Additionally, AARP advocated for increased disclosure of Public Advocate actions. Because of that advocacy, the office will now prepare an annual report to the general public.
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