State Utility Commissioners Face Elections in 8 States

While all the states with commission elections will vote Nov. 5, Louisiana could have a runoff Dec. 7 if none of its candidates gets more than 50% of the vote. Georgia canceled its Public Service Commission election due to civil rights litigation regarding how members are chosen in the state (see 2408270028).

NARUC Telecom Committee Chair Tim Schram (R) is running unopposed to keep his seat on the Nebraska PSC. Chair Dan Watermeier (R) also has no opponent. The commission’s remaining three seats, also controlled by Republicans, aren't up for election this year.

Schram plans to focus on broadband, next-generation 911 and precision agriculture issues at the Nebraska PSC next year, the commissioner said in an interview. He expects continued coordination with the state broadband office, while the commission will likely address more provider boundary change requests by consumers who live just outside a completed high-speed internet project and want service, he said. The latter helps fill holes in a “patchwork network” that resulted from various state and federal grant programs, he said. “We’re getting a lot of requests, and we haven’t denied any of them.’”

In addition, Schram predicted the PSC will address cellphone reception through a Nebraska universal service fund (NUSF) program that funds wireless towers. And the commissioner expects to continue work to shift the focus of NUSF distribution to ongoing network costs from deployment (see 2407090036). “It's great that we're getting all these broadband networks deployed, but as history has shown us with voice service … there’s still going to have to be [subsidies] to make sure that these networks are maintained and operated."

Elsewhere, Democrat Joshua Polacheck wants to see the Arizona Corporation Commission do more to expand broadband access. Polacheck seeks one of three open seats at the five-member commission, which is currently controlled 4-1 by Republicans. “The current MAGA majority on the Commission has chosen to abdicate their constitutional responsibility for providing a stable telecommunications regulatory environment in Arizona, to the detriment of consumers and small businesses,” emailed Polacheck, a former U.S. State Department official. “Broadband is a critical service for the 21st century.”

Arizona commission Chair Lea Marquez Peterson (R) is running for reelection, while James O’Connor (R) and Anna Tovar (D) won’t return next year. Other candidates vying with Peterson and Polacheck for the three open seats include Ylenia Aguilar (D), Jonathon Hill (D), Rene Lopez (R) and Rachel Walden (R).

Another state commission candidate seeking to expand broadband access is Gideon Oakes. A Libertarian running for a spot on the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, Oakes will face off against 13-year incumbent Kristie Fiegen (R) and another challenger, Forrest Wilson (D). Republicans currently control the commission 3-0.

“The South Dakota PUC still holds a certain amount of regulatory authority over wired telecom,” so the commission “has a distinct duty to remove barriers wherever possible for South Dakota telcos to finish building out their fiber optic networks, just as they did with copper lines decades ago,” emailed Oakes. Wireless is convenient, he said. “But at the end of the day, the internet was built on wires, and at its heart, it continues to run on fiber.”

In Louisiana, Democratic PSC candidate Nick Laborde seeks to lower the cost of incarcerated people’s communications services (IPCS) calls. The tech entrepreneur will face off against state legislator Jean-Paul Coussan (R) and attorney Julie Quinn (R). Commissioner Craig Greene (R) decided not to run for reelection. With Republicans currently controlling the PSC by a 3-2 margin, a win by Laborde could flip the commission for Democrats.

Helping the incarcerated connect with loved ones and others outside prison can reduce recidivism, and yet “the price of prison phone calls is just absurd in Louisiana,” emailed Laborde. A recent FCC order lowering IPCS rates “will thankfully put a dent in that, but I'd love to see the cost come down even further, up to and including free.” The PSC “is the sole decision maker in Louisiana on prison phone calls and certainly has that power,” said Laborde, adding that he believes that a majority would support moving forward on it if he is elected. He said the commission’s two incumbent Democrats “have been speaking on this issue for some time now but the votes have not been there.”

More Elections and Ballot Questions

In addition, three Montana PSC seats are up for election. All five current commissioners are Republicans. On Nov. 5, incumbent Jennifer Fielder (R) will face Elena Evans, an independent who is executive director of the Montana Association of Conservation Districts. State legislator and former PSC member Brad Molnar (R) is running against educator Susan Bilo (D) for the seat of term-limited Commissioner Tony O’Donnell. Voters will choose between Jeffrey Welborn (R), another former state legislator, and electrical union member Leonard William (D) for the seat of James Brown (R), who is running for state auditor.

North Dakota PSC Chair Randy Christmann (R) will face Democratic challenger Tracey Wilkie, who works for the North Dakota Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health. The commission’s other two slots, also controlled by Republicans, aren’t up for election this year.

Longtime Oklahoma Corporation Commission member Bob Anthony (R) won’t be returning in 2025. Anthony has held the position since 1989. Voters’ choices to replace him are former Oklahoma Secretary of State Brian Bingman (R), ordained minister Harold Spradling (D) or Libertarian business owner Chad Williams. The commission is currently 3-0 Republican.

In Alabama, the PSC won’t change. Its president, Twinkle Cavanaugh (R), is running unopposed. She has been on the 3-0 Republican commission for 14 years.

New Mexico’s Bond Question 4 asks if the state should issue about $10 million in bonds to upgrade public safety communications. The legislature sought the funding “to plan, design, purchase, install and implement related infrastructure to stabilize and modernize public safety radio communications systems statewide.” Said APCO Executive Director Mel Maier in a statement: “Radio system funding and improvements enhance the ability of emergency communications centers (ECCs) and public safety telecommunicators as they share information with first responders in the field and provide 9-1-1 support to the communities they serve."

In Oregon, a ballot measure that would provide every resident with a universal basic income of $1,600 annually could affect Comcast and other big companies. "Giant corporations like Comcast" pay for the income plan, say the initiative’s supporters on their website. “Multinational corporations like Comcast are not going to stop operating in Oregon because they have to pay slightly more in taxes.”

"Comcast came up over and over again in our statewide signature gathering process as an example of what is wrong with modern day major corporations, which is why it's one of our more heavily cited corporations," said a spokesperson for the group supporting the Oregon ballot initiative. Petition signers had various complaints with Comcast, one of Oregon's largest ISPs, including high prices, network throttling and customer service, the spokesperson said. Comcast declined to comment.