In this day and age, the ISP should also be on the list of things classified as "utilities" - it's getting harder and harder to do anything useful without the internet. It's become an essential service.

Include Internet access to those utilities as well, please.

I think a better way to go about it is what Australia used to do. There was a government run service for most things, phones: Telstra, banking: Commonwealth bank, etc. Unfortunately they get sold off for peanuts/privatised, and what do you know, service suffered, but profits for the board and investors jumped.

This leaves the ability for private companies to operate in the space if they can compete on price or on service/features.

Private companies hate that though, it means they can't boil the frog/capture the industry as easily.

In NW Florida we had a semi-private, semi-government firm running our power. Seemed fair. We could vote on directors, they made a profit to keep the infrastructure running, prices were fair.

Now that our government sold us out to a private company, prices spiked and reliability dropped. I should note; We were told prices would jump to work on infrastructure. OK, I dunno, might be fair. Read on.

So, this is all anecdotal, take it as you will. People complained about prices jumping 40%. I didn't see it for some time, my bill was about the same. Now I'm seeing the price hike. Don't know what changed. My bill went from $120 tops to $240. For reference, I live in a small Habitat for Humanity house. They build for energy efficiency above all else.

Since the private entity took over, I'm seeing more power blips. Nothing to really bitch about, but we never had "blips" during afternoon storms. What happened to the infrastructure improvements? Again, anecdotal, but it sure seems worse.

And one more anecdote... I'm 53. Grew up in Tulsa. Power never cut out when I was a kid, not for a second. OTOH, when a storm took us down, it was hours or days to recover, not minutes. And I may be misremembering, YMMV.

Mostly with ya OP. I think utilities should be able to make a modest profit. Encourages them to do well, expand. They make a little money, do a good job, nobody's bitching. Modest being the key word here.

Yes. These things should not be run for profit.

I think that we should set up some sort of honey pot trap, here. Anyone who seriously proposes privatizing one of the utilities is permanently barred from working in the industry ever again.

Wildly impractical, I know. I just want the people who are always making the world shittier so they can have a little more profit to suffer.

『Bolshevik chorus swells』

SEIZE THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION! WE HAVE NOTHING TO L—mph! mmmpmmmph! mmmlmmmpmmmph!

『is carried off by well dressed industrialist goons』

In The Netherlands, the power grid has been turned into a different company than the power supply company. Same for gas and internet. The infrastructure companies are tightly regulated, to the point that they might as well be gpvernment branches. The providers however, are free to offer whatever.

The result is healthy competition where possible, without any company gaining a monopoly position over the utilities of individuals.

The drawback is that they figired out that the best way to make money, is of the backs of lazy people. People who don't want to switch providers, cause that means effort. Hence, not actively looking for a better offer every few years is quite costly.

I would never consider doing business with a morally bankrupt monster like that. Your utility manager on the other hand sounds like an interesting fellow.

Good idea but doesn't help us renters a ton.

Why do you hate the customers 😆

Can you not approach the union and look to expand who they cover? I can't see why they would reject having a larger membership.

That was my gut reaction too but what happens when this happens to the electric company as well?

Natural gas is far and away some of the most cost efficient methods of providing heat for temperature control and cooking.

The electricity you're using to run the pump and the HVAC will more than likely exceed the cost of the gas. My Houston electricity bills can get into the $600/mo range during heat waves, while my gas bill never gets above $50.

This is going to fuck people sideways, without a doubt. But hedge funds are already dick-deep in the electricity market. You're not escaping capitalism by plugging your gas line.

I look forward to seeing you trolling on here!