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                      NEWS RELEASE FROM THE

                   CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 1995


                FORUM CONTINUES ON CONSUMER CHOICE
           WHEN ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY IS RESTRUCTURED


In anticipation of the state's restructuring of their industry, 
electric power utilities are becoming more responsive to customer 
demands for greater choice. They are offering new, innovative 
service options to position themselves as effective competitors 
in a restructured environment. 

To help explore various aspects of consumer choice in a 
restructured electric power industry, the California Energy 
Commission will facilitate a series of monthly meetings. The next 
meeting is in Sacramento on Friday, December 1, from 10 a.m. 
to 4 p.m. at the Secretary of State Building.

The meeting will focus on expanded customer service options such 
as customized billing arrangements, differing levels of power 
quality and equipment maintenance service. It will feature 
presentations by John Perry, manager of customer billing at 
Southern California Edison Company, and Patricia Herman, project 
director at Barakat & Chamberlin, a national energy consulting 
firm based in Oakland.

An Energy Services Working Group on Consumer Choice organized by 
the Energy Commission began meeting in June. The group, while 
tracking the evolution of electricity restructuring, seeks to 
involve diverse parties in translating the Energy Commission's 
policy support for Consumer Choice into practical actions for 
implementation. Through this series of meetings, the group seeks 
to identify key issues that should be addressed by public policy 
and to understand the participants' positions on these issues.

Topics discussed at the previous meetings have included consumer 
issues in electricity restructuring; activities of marketers, 
brokers and aggregators; access to strategic information assets; 
and new technologies for electricity metering and information 
systems.

Upcoming topics are new business opportunities in energy services 
on January 11 and a review of an in-depth report by the 
information access study team on February 8.

Participants include energy professionals representing utilities, 
consumer and research groups, government agencies, electricity 
marketers and customer aggregators, energy service companies and 
representatives of other restructured industries, such as 
telecommunications and natural gas. 

For further information, please contact Ken Goeke of the Energy 
Commission at (916) 654-4760.

News media, please contact Claudia Chandler at (916) 654-4989.


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File Name:
95-11-22_Consumer_Choices_Topic_At_Restructuring_Foru