The PUC decision could allow two companies that already hold more than 70% of the market share to scoop up even more consumers, which experts worry will stifle competition and raise prices for everyone in the unregulated market in the long term.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas is launching an investigation into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ grid failure following the winter storm.
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Texas Launches Probe of Power Companies After Blackouts
The fallout from the severe weather that crippled the power grid in Texas and other states over the past week continues, as officials grapple with what went wrong and who should be held accountable for an energy emergency that left millions without electricity.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Feb. 19 said his office would investigate the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s power grid operator, and issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to ERCOT and other power companies as part of that investigation. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also said ERCOT’s actions would be investigated, and said the state Senate would begin a probe into the system operator in the next week.
The surnames Gleeson and Gleason developed from the Irish name O Glasain, which originated in East County Cork. The Gaelic prefix “O” means male descendant of, and Glasain derives from “glas,” literally meaning “green” in the sense of inexperience as opposed to the color. There are many variations of the name, including Gleason, Glisane, Glison, Glyssane, O’Gleasane and O’Glassane.
The Gleesons belonged to the ancient territory of Mac Ui Bhriain Aradh’s country, the area between Nenagh and Lough Derg in North County Tipperary. The name is still prominent in the area, but it has been carried all over the world.
Changing Times, Funding Threaten Connectivity in Rural Texas
As state subsidies for Internet and phone service access for rural Texans hang in the balance, rural telephone service providers are staring down the barrel of substantial funding cuts. Shutterstock/Pavel Ignatov
As wireless providers move towards using data instead of voice calls, the Texas Universal Service Fund (TUSF), which is responsible for offsetting the high cost of connecting Texans across the state, has reduced payments received by rural telephone providers by 66 percent.
In response to this decrease, rural telephone providers, which are now facing financial uncertainty, filed a suit in Travis County District Court against the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), which oversees the fund.