Southern Montana Telephone Co. v. Montana Public Service Commission

¶1 The Montana Public Service Commission requires that certain regulated telecommunications companies publicly disclose the compensation of their executive or managerial employees earning more than $100,000 per year. Southern Montana Telephone Company and Lincoln Telephone Company—both regulated by the Commission—filed motions for protective orders to keep the salary information confidential. The Commission denied the motions, relying in part on a new “rubric” that it developed by which it declared it would judge such motions. Southern and Lincoln each appealed to the First Judicial District…