Incomes of americans have been drastically reduced in recent weeks as COVID19 related relief programs have reached their deadlines without extensions. The federal eviction moratorium ended on July 24th, and the program providing an extra $600 in unemployment benefits expired on July 30th, and...Read more
We're including this article because it discusses the state of household energy bills and the use of pandemic moratoriums. The article discusses differences between when states ended the utility shutoff moratoriums, but also noted that nationally, household consumers did spend more during the...Read more
This article discusses the effects of the utility shutoff moratorium as a policy (an emergency policy) that had no vision for long term pay back. I did not count the number of times the phrase "keeing the lights on" was repeated, but I should have. The article also describes how different...Read more
Current FCC estimates predict that 30 million Americans do not have broadband access, which includes more than 6/10 rural residents. Some estimates put that at even more without internet access.
Microsoft recently released numbers estimating the percentage of residents who use the...Read more
In much a continued theme throughout the pandemic, utility shutoffs threaten and have negatively impacted many families across the United States. Without any jobs or assistance to pay for high energy bills, which continue to pile on as we are inevitably forced to stay inside, many families face...Read more
PECO, Philadelphia's primary electric utility, has filed for a very large rate increase of $246 million, which will be approximately 10% for the average residential customer. PECO states that the rate increase is necessary ...Read more
PECO received $270 million in federal and state funding through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, money that can be used to help people who can't pay their bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only a limited number of customers have enrolled, and to date only $500,000 of that money...Read more
Jeff Merkley, a Democratic senator from Oregon, proposed a 30 billion dollar low-interest loans program for electric, water and sewage and broadband providers as part of the Maintaining Access to Essential Services During the Covid Emergency Act of 2021.The loans would allow...Read more