Conference Call on FTC Request for Comments on Retail Competition

MEMORANDUM

TO: State Issues Committee

FROM: Jane Cahill, State Issues Committee Chair
Samantha Slater, Manager of State & Regional Affairs

DATE: March 7, 2001

RE: FTC Request for Comments on Retail Electricity Competition
Plans
? Comments Due April 3, 2001
? Conference Call on Friday, March 16th at 11:00 a.m. EST

On February 28, 2001, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a request for
information regarding the outcome to date of the different regulatory and
legislative approaches states have taken to the introduction of retail
electric competition. To discuss the Commission's notice and the direction
of EPSA's comments in response to the notice, we have scheduled a conference
call for Friday, March 16th at 11:00 a.m. (EST). The FTC's notice was issued
at the request of the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee of the
U.S. House of Representatives, Billy Tauzin, and the Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, Joe Barton. To comply with the
request, the Commission will update its July 2000 staff report Competition
and Consumer Protection Perspectives on Electric Power Regulatory Reform.

The FTC will examine various state retail competition programs and determine
which features have resulted in consumer benefits, and which have not. In
particular, the Commission is interested in information about market
responses to various provisions of state retail competition plants. In
addition, the Commission will also consider possible jurisdictional
limitations on the states' authority to implement retail competition programs
and whether there is a need for federal legislative or regulatory action. A
copy of the FTC's notice is attached.

To access the March 16th conference call at 11:00 a.m. (EST), please dial
1-800-937-6563 and ask for the EPSA/Samantha Slater Call. In the meantime,
if you have any questions or comments please contact Samantha Slater at
202-789-7200 or sslater@epsa.org. The FTC's notice represents an important
and unique opportunity for EPSA members to discuss what is working and what
is not in retail markets today. We encourage as many member companies as
possible to submit comments.

Also during this conference call, we will discuss what role, if any, EPSA
should play in states that have already opened their markets to retail
choice, such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Illinois.

Attachment

- eleccompetition.txt