Futurology

1807 readers

154 users here now

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

Louisiana Customers who save on electric bills could be forced to pay utility company for lost profits (lailluminator.com)

submitted 3 months ago by Espiritdescali to c/futurology

13 comments fedilink hide all child comments

top 13 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 28 points 3 months ago (2 children)

To a limited extent I can understand charging folks something. On the offhand chance you need to use the grid for power (or heck, to put power into it.), the grid needs to be functional, which takes repairs and maintenance, which takes money. That said, forcing to pay for lost profits is ridiculous.

[–] sxan@midwest.social 39 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yup.

However, let me suggest a radical idea:

Any service that has infrastructure requirements like this, such that there's a mandatory "base fee" under the usage fee, should be nationalized, and the base fee paid be taxes. Every, and any, service. Water. Sewage. Electricity. Internet. Roads. Any basic need provided, that requires infrastructure that would incur a monthly maintenance fee. De-privatize it.

This would be my litmus law for nationalizing services.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Natural monopoly is the term you're looking for I believe, though I think you're going a smidge further then the definition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_monopoly

[–] sxan@midwest.social 8 points 3 months ago

Works for me.

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 17 points 3 months ago

I'd be more amenable to fees if the companies were actually forced to maintain their infrastructure and if the government wasn't already giving them all big handouts. That comment about nationalizing all of them makes a bunch of sense to me.

[–] snekerpimp@lemmy.world 23 points 3 months ago

We live in a corporatocracy.

[–] RagingHungryPanda@lemm.ee 17 points 3 months ago

Ah, Louisiana, first you charge people $800 energy bills then you complain that you can't make it more efficient. Capitalism is doing great.

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago

Too many utilities are incorrectly billing fixed distribution costs on their per-kilowatt hour rate. Where I live, distribution is just over half the cost of electricity, but it is still mostly billed per kilowatt hour, when really those costs are nearly completely fixed.

[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 4 points 3 months ago

Sounds about right for Louisiana.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Double repost:

https://futurology.today/post/2001065

https://futurology.today/post/2009533

Not sure why this one has more comments than the previous ones.

[–] voidx 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

We had a technical issue that impacted the federation with other instances. It's resolved now so there's more visibility.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago

Ah, that would explain it. Thanks!

[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

FREEDOM! Enjoy those PROFITS you SOCIALIST COMMIES IN BLUE STATES!