Accountability for Public Service Commission is key to keeping the lights on
Georgians are deeply aware of the importance of our vote. In the past decade, the national spotlight has illuminated the sweeping power of Georgia voters — from Americus to Atlanta — as we make change at the ballot box.
On Election Day on Nov. 4, Georgia voters had literal power on the line with the election of two members of the Public Service Commission. Driven by high turnout, the results of this election will carry consequences that affect Georgia families, particularly Black Georgians, in practical ways.
But we cannot allow the ballot box to be where our power ends. Georgians must continue to hold the PSC accountable, because it affects our lives every day — not just in November.
The PSC stewards Georgia’s state energy resources. The five elected commissioners are responsible for the regulation of electricity costs for services in 155 of Georgia’s 159 counties. Basically, each time a light switch flips or a gas stove turns on, the PSC is there.
With this power to set the costs of the most basic services in Georgians’ lives, the PSC‘s regulatory decisions will severely affect the pocketbooks of almost everyone in the state.
Burden of rate increases falls on consumers
In this decade, the PSC has approved six rate hikes that left customers paying $43 more per month on their Georgia Power electricity bill. Meanwhile, Georgia Power’s parent company’s profits soared by 43% in the year after the series of rate increases.
This summer, the commission agreed to “freeze” base rates until 2028, sealing the high costs that Georgians have suffered in the past few years. And although that might sound like an agreement designed to benefit Georgians, it cloaks a more foreboding possibility.
Despite this announcement, Georgia residents’ bills could still increase, because the parent power companies are poised to ask customers to pay increased rates to offset the cost of damages incurred during Hurricane Helene.
The burden of these rate increases falls squarely on the shoulders of Georgia consumers and families, while the PSC and the electricity companies enjoy the fruits of these cost increases. What’s more, Black Georgians, more so than any other demographic, will more acutely feel the burden of shouldering increased costs to keep the lights on at home.
Black Georgians face disproportionate energy burdens — because of pernicious housing discrimination practices such as racial redlining, Black families are more likely to reside in energy inefficient homes, forced to spend more of their income on energy costs than others.
Furthermore, Georgia presents one of the highest low-income energy burdens in the South. What this means is that the higher the energy bill, the more of a household’s income will be forced to go to that bill — which leads to impossible trade-offs as colder weather settles in, like turning the thermostat’s setting to heat or eking out enough savings to cover medical expenses and medicine.
Public must be present at PSC meetings and vote
The injustices facing Georgians are not recent phenomena; they’ve existed as remnants of the Jim Crow era, when racial segregation laws forced Black folks into areas with energy inefficient housing. Combine that dynamic with decades of housing and credit discrimination and lack of representation in the bodies making energy-related decisions, and you get the problems we face today: People having to choose between energy and all other basic needs.
But how can the PSC help? The commission has the power to implement policy solutions that will ease the high energy burdens on Black families. They can choose to regulate service costs in a manner that promotes economic vitality for Black families instead of prioritizing corporate profit margins.
And what can you do about it? Continue to hold the commissioners accountable. All PSC hearings and meetings are open to the public and livestreamed. Check the calendar and show up to public meetings, make your voice heard. You can also write to the PSC or submit public comment to let them know how rate changes affect you.
And continue to stay updated on election timelines. Make sure you are registered to vote ahead of the 2026 election where two PSC seats will be on the ballot again. Every voter has a voice, and every voice matters.
The Public Service Commission can be an agent of good in Georgia. If they work with Georgians in mind, they can fulfill their responsibility to our state.
We are stronger together — let’s continue to make sure our commission answers the call to protect all Georgians.
Carol Anderson is the Robert W. Woodruff professor of African American studies at Emory University.
