Public Advocate v. Public Utilities Commission

CLIFFORD, Justice.

[¶ 1] The Public Advocate appeals an order entered by the Public Utilities Commission, and the denial of a motion to reconsider that order, allowing New England Telephone and Telegraph Company (NET)1 to recover, through a surcharge in rates, costs related to an expansion of basic service calling areas mandated by the Commission. The Public Advocate contends that the Commission’s order allowing the surcharges is beyond the Commission’s statutory authority and constitutes impermissible retroactive ratemaking. We disagree that the surcharge is retroactive ratemaking and…