Voters are headed to the polls to select two members to sit on the Georgia Public Service Commission.
But what is the PSC, and why does it matter?
What does the PSC do?
Georgia’s PSC is a five-person board tasked with regulating certain electric, gas and telecommunications companies. The board sets rates for how much utility companies can charge.
On its website, the PSC says it “must balance Georgia citizens’ need for reliable services and reasonable rates with the need for utilities to earn a reasonable return on investment.”
“In fact, very few governmental agencies have as much impact on peoples’ lives as the PSC,” the website says.
The PSC has its roots as the Railroad Commission of Georgia, which was created by the state Legislature in 1879. As the state grew, the commission took on additional duties, and in 1922, lawmakers renamed it the Public Service Commission.
Why should Georgians care?
Georgia Power customers have experienced six PSC-approved rate hikes since 2023, partly to fund two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, near Augusta.
The utility made a preliminary agreement with the five-person PSC in May to hold base rates steady for the next three years.
How long are terms on the PSC?
Commissioners are supposed to serve staggered six-year terms, but a series of court battles and new legislation have delayed PSC elections since 2022.
State lawmakers passed legislation in 2024 to extend the terms of existing commissioners and set a new election schedule. That law is being challenged in court.
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