Specifications include, but are not limited to: The North Carolina Utilities Commission regulates utility companies that operate in North Carolina. The attorneys, economic researchers, engineers, and accountants for the Commission and Public Staff use the On-Line research reports, data compilations, and news reports to track utility regulatory developments that can impact energy companies, water companies, and their customers in North Carolina. For example, the attorneys use this service to acquire utility regulatory decisions from other states that address the same issues occurring in North Carolina, allowing a more informed approach to those issues here. The economic researchers are able to monitor authorized returns on equity across the country, and changes in financing mechanisms for utilities, which may serve as a benchmark for regulatory decisions here. The engineers use the service to keep up with deployment of new utility technologies in other jurisdictions. All this information is used to support the Utilities Commission, Commissioners and Public Staff with analysis and justification for the cases before them. This information improves the capability of utility regulation in North Carolina, and it improves the qualitative outcomes of that regulation.
