PSC asks utility to stop billing customers for advertising years before a state ban takes effect
By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Every month, Alabama Power customers may be helping pay for the company’s advertising. State regulators want that to stop now, not in 2029.
Alabama Power spent more than $6 million on general advertising last year, roughly $4 per customer, according to federal filings reviewed by Inside Climate News. Under current rules, customers can be billed for half of the cost of advertising that is not related to public safety.
A new state law will bar utilities from passing those costs to customers, but it does not take effect until Jan. 1, 2029.
At its Nov. 3 meeting, the Alabama Public Service Commission voted to ask Alabama Power to voluntarily stop billing customers for those ads right away. The motion was not on the meeting agenda, and the request is not binding, Inside Climate News reported. Commissioners Jeremy Oden and Chris Beeker IV voted in favor.
“I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t go ahead and take steps now,” said PSC President Cynthia Lee Almond.
Daniel Tait, executive director of Energy Alabama, praised the move. “We are grateful for the leadership of President Almond,” he said.
Alabama Power did not respond to Inside Climate News’ request for comment.
For families already stretched by rising costs, $4 a year is small. But the principle matters: utility customers in Alabama have no choice of provider, so every charge on the bill deserves scrutiny.
The PSC itself is about to change. The commission will expand from three members to seven in January. Residents can follow PSC meetings and file comments at psc.alabama.gov.