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Looking to the Future
TMEPA is working to protect your interests
It’s been a hectic few months since the General Assembly adjourned last year. We’ve been busy tracking all the newspapers and periodicals to stay abreast of the changing legislative, economic and electric industry issues facing Tennessee and our nation.
It was announced in December 2008 that the United States is officially in a recession, the auto industry is asking for “bail-out” loans, the mortgage industry has already received billions of dollars and is expected to get more, and
a Democratic Congress took over in January 2009 with promises
to solve all the issues facing our nation. Congress certainly has our support in this herculean effort,
but regardless of good intentions, our economic future is hazy.
Your municipal power provider is doing all it can to assist in these areas already.
Here in Tennessee, we have a Republican majority in both the Senate and House for the first time since Reconstruction. Our 106th General Assembly is now composed of 19 Republicans and 14 Democrats in the Senate, and 50 Republicans and 49 Democrats in the House. It’s a majority for sure, but not an overwhelming majority, and a few absentees could easily affect a bill’s outcome. We’ll be busy this session meeting with
the new folks, but we certainly won’t forget all our past friends (Republican and Democrat) in our Legislature who understand and support the municipal systems and public power specifically. We’re thankful for each of them.
One of the areas we typically address each year is pole-attachment fees. Last year a rumor circulated that your cable or telephone bill
was higher as a result of the pole-attachment fee imposed by the municipal electric systems. Let’s put that in perspective. As an example, let’s say that a particular system has an $18 annual attachment fee. Please note it says “annual,” not monthly. Since most municipals are high density, the cable provider likely has three or four customers on each pole, so the actual “monthly” pole-attachment cost per cable customer is only 37
to 50 cents per month. Not a lot
of money is it?
Keep in mind that the electric company has the responsibility of maintaining the pole, trimming
the right of way and seeing to all the safety issues involved with a distribution system, including the attachments of other companies.
Rest assured that TMEPA will be doing its part in watching over the interest of the 2 million citizens of Tennessee served by the local municipal electric systems. After all, this is our state, our economy and our home also.
We pray that you will have
an outstanding and prosperous
new year.
Mike Vinson
Executive Director
Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association
