This article documents the end of the utility shutoffs suspension in Pennsylvania, which will take place on November 9, 2020.
Utilities have said that the moratorium, which was enacted in March, has not led to an increase in payment plan applications, but has instead led to an increase of unpaid bills. Advocates of extending the moratorium use this fact as evidence of the widespread economic devastation caused by the pandemic and are calling for the moratorium to continue while also calling for the PUC to incentive entrance into payment plans. New Jersey was set to end their moratorium as well, but Governor Phil Murphy reversed the decision at the last minute until March 15th, 2021. This article shows how people aren’t applying for payment plans, the cause of which is unknown as many companies have not released information on how many of their customers are low income.
Anonymous, "Unpaid Pa. utility bills soar 68% in the pandemic, and thousands face shutoffs next month", contributed by Alison Kenner, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 18 December 2020, accessed 21 December 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/unpaid-pa-utility-bills-soar-68-pandemic-and-thousands-face-shutoffs-next-month
Critical Commentary
This article documents the end of the utility shutoffs suspension in Pennsylvania, which will take place on November 9, 2020.
Utilities have said that the moratorium, which was enacted in March, has not led to an increase in payment plan applications, but has instead led to an increase of unpaid bills. Advocates of extending the moratorium use this fact as evidence of the widespread economic devastation caused by the pandemic and are calling for the moratorium to continue while also calling for the PUC to incentive entrance into payment plans. New Jersey was set to end their moratorium as well, but Governor Phil Murphy reversed the decision at the last minute until March 15th, 2021. This article shows how people aren’t applying for payment plans, the cause of which is unknown as many companies have not released information on how many of their customers are low income.