Strategic Communication Major, Public Affairs Intern with the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel

This summer, my Public Affairs internship with the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel has taken me to the Ohio State Fair, the Ohio Supreme Court and the Ohio Statehouse.

Talking utilities at the fair

Despite having lived in Ohio all my life, I have never attended the largest fair in Ohio or seen the butter cow. But this year I worked at the Ohio State Fair July 27 to August 7 to represent the OCC and talk to consumers.

As an intern, I have responded to consumers’ inquiries on the phone and in the mail, but the fair presented a new opportunity to work with consumers. I got out of the office and worked first-hand with the questions and concerns top of mind for consumers. The questions they asked and concerns they presented gave me better insight into what is important for consumers to know, and it will guide my work developing new outreach materials.

We brought fact sheets, our latest newsletter and an interactive light board, which attracted a lot of attention from passers-by. The light board had six light bulbs and a meter that measured the amount of electricity used by each light bulb. The meters showed LED and CFL light bulbs use the least amount of electricity for nearly the same brightness.

State government in action

In July, I was asked to go to the Statehouse and observe a meeting of the Senate Public Utilities Committee. The committee was holding hearings for the governor’s appointments to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. For the Ohio utility market, “these are critical times,” committee chairman Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, said. There are several significant cases pending before the PUCO and legislation that could change Ohio’s utility market.

The questions to the governor’s appointments covered a lot of issues, but I was most interested in their questions about low-income consumers and utility service complaints. After it was over, I discussed the hearing with the Consumers’ Counsel.

I also observed the OCC at the Ohio Supreme Court. The PUCO approved billing charges for Dayton Power and Light customers in 2012, and the OCC appealed the customer service charges to the Ohio Supreme Court. In June the justices heard the case and I observed the oral arguments. I heard the justices ask questions about DP&L’s financial integrity and how DP&L justified charging customers for this. The OCC’s arguments against the charges were convincing, and the Court made a ruling striking down the charges within a week.

Moving Forward

As I continue in my position, I will assist with the agency’s work regarding legislation. Submetering, clean energy standards and the possible re-regulation of electric markets are some of the issues that will be discussed in the upcoming legislative session.

For state senators and representatives, I will continue to work on a legislator handbook, or briefing book, which explains the OCC and energy policy to state representatives. This handbook will serve as a resource for representatives before they write, discuss or vote on pending legislation.

My entire internship experience has been about equipping people, consumers or legislators, with the knowledge they need to navigate a complicated utility market. It’s all aspiring to the OCC’s vision of “Informed consumers able to choose among a variety of affordable, quality utility services with options to control and customize their utility usage.” I am happy to have served these Ohioans, and I look forward to serving them as I continue my internship this fall.

Meet all of the 2016 summer intern bloggers and read about their experiences.