COVID-19: How Oregon CUB Is Responding
Posted on March 27, 2020 by Bob Jenks
Tags, Energy, Telecommunications, Water/Wastewater, General Interest
The COVID-19 virus has changed our lives. While we hope everyone is managing this crisis appropriately and staying healthy, we recognize that thousands of our neighbors will struggle with this pandemic’s economic and public health impacts.
The CUB staff is working from home, with our children out of school, our state on virtual lockdown under a stay-at-home order, and our economy in freefall. We are laser focused, though, on what we can do to help Oregon’s residents, particularly our most vulnerable neighbors, due to the dramatic number of jobs lost in a very short period of time.
As the implications of social distancing became clear, CUB called on Oregon utilities to put a moratorium on utility shut-offs. No family should have to shelter at home without heat or lights. Our utilities were among the first in the country to respond and quickly agreed to suspend shut-offs and late fees. They should be applauded, though we recognize that these actions alone are not sufficient.
Some voluntary relief actions have been taken by telecommunications providers, but CUB is working hard for more. With coffee shops and libraries closed, people must have access to the internet at home. Students – from elementary grades through college - need access to online learning, both in the form of online classes and unstructured, informal education. The equity implications of denying families access to broadband could not be more serious.
CUB joined efforts to get Congress to include funding for utility bill payment assistance in the federal relief bill. Federal funding for low income utility assistance is not enough to meet the need in good times, and it is wholly insufficient to deal with the wave of additional layoffs that is heading our way. The bill that passed the Senate this week includes $900 million to this cause. But we know that Oregon’s share of this will not be enough, so CUB has joined low-income advocates in calling for the state legislature to allocate $30 million additional dollars to Oregon’s program to support low-income utility customers.
We are also doubling down on our core work: keeping utility rates affordable. Four major utilities – both gas and electric - have requested general rate increases this year. CUB cannot remember the last time this many utilities asked for higher rates at the same time. Much of what they are asking for does not make sense in good times, and should clearly be rejected under the current circumstances facing Oregon’s economy and its residents. This reinforces just how critical a role CUB plays in protecting consumer interests in the regulatory arena.
Finally, in order to maintain CUB’s effectiveness, we are tightening our belts. We recognize that when CUB’s members and supporters are suffering it affects their ability to support our work through contributions, while at the same time there is a real need to keep bills affordable today. We greatly appreciate and need what support you can provide, but we are taking steps to reduce costs without sacrificing our effectiveness.
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03/26/20 | 0 Comments | COVID-19: How Oregon CUB Is Responding