Broadband over Power Line: Key Regulatory Issues for Utilities

Although legislation in 1996 allowed a holding company to acquire an interest in an “exempt telecommunications company” without the need for SEC approval or the potential for later review, the ETC provision was not without its tradeoffs for utilities. Indeed, the new Section 34 of the Public Utility Holding Company Act provides state public utility commissions with limited authority to oversee the relationship among ETCs, their holding company parents, and their utility affiliates.