Welcome to the Missouri Office of Public Counsel

The Office of Public Counsel represents the interests of the public and utility customers in proceedings before the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) and in appeals in the courts. The PSC regulates the rates and services of investor-owned electric, natural gas, telephone, water, sewer and steam heat utilities. The Office of the Public Counsel is independent from the PSC and has a separate budget and staff.

Need help to understand your utility bills?
(Push button "Understanding Your Bill"

Consumer Guides available: "More Consumer Topics"

Who do I contact to resolve my utility problem or make a complaint?
FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html
PSC: http://www.psc.mo.gov/file-a-complaint

SETTLEMENT IN AT&T FEDERAL CLASS ACTION APPROVED:
FORMER AT&T  LONG DISTANCE CUSTOMERS IN MISSOURI ELIGIBLE FOR CASH PAYMENTS
You may be entitled to a small cash settlement  if you were billed and paid an AT&T $3.95 monthly recurring charge (MRC) since January 2004 even though you have not used AT&T long distance service since August, 2001. The federal court has approved the settlement of a class action lawsuit that requires AT&T to pay in the general range of  $10 to $100 to eligible former customers that paid AT&T. The amount depends on how you were billed and certain documentation of the billing and payment.
THE ONLY WAY TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A PAYMENT IS TO FILE A CLAIM AND THE REQUIRED CERTIFICATION NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31, 2009. 
Claims may be filed either by mail (postmarked by 1-31-09) or on line (by 1-31-09). For forms and additional information, see  www.MRCSettlement.com for official and detailed information about filing a claim and your rights, see the NOTICE from the federal court at the following site: http://www.mrcsettlement.com/notice.pdf

PUBLIC COUNSEL ASKS COURTS TO ENFORCE CONSUMERS' RIGHTS

Public Counsel returned to the MO Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus to compel the PSC to vacate its order that approved Empire Electric District Company's tariff that increased rates. On October 30, 2007, the Court directed the PSC to "vacate" its order and give Public Counsel a reasonable opportunity to file for rehearing as a prerequisite to court review. The PSC issued an order that gave OPC 10 days to file for rehearing. But instead of setting aside the order and entering a new order approving the tariff, it said that it considered its first order valid authority for Empire to collect the increased rates and reaffirmed that order. Public Counsel asked the Court for expedited consideration because ratepayers were still paying under the authority of the unlawful order and tariff State ex rel. Office of Public Counsel v. PSC, MO SC 89176

MO Supreme Court agreed with OPC's claim that PSC was unreasonable and denied OPC's right to ask for rehearing, the prerequisite for court review, when it only allowed Public Counsel 1 hour and 20 minutes to file rehearing motion before the Empire Electric Company's new rates became effective under PSC rules and law.  MO Supreme Court Case No. SC 88390 (October 30, 2007)

OPC has appealed the PSC decisions in these rate cases because the decisions fixing the rates were unlawful and unreasonable and the rates were not just and reasonable:  
Aquila, Inc. (ER-2007-0004)
Ameren UE (ER-2007-0002)
Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) (GR-2006-0422)
Kansas City Power & Light (KCPL) (ER-2006-0314)
Atmos Energy Corporation (GR-2006-0387)
Empire District Electric Company (ER-2006-0315)

PROPERTY RIGHTS ADVOCATE FOR EMINENT DOMAIN PROBLEMS
(Push button "Eminent Domain")

Watch live hearings on the internet at: http://www.psc.mo.gov/webcasts

HELP AVOID POWER OUTAGES: TREE PLANTING GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE. (CLICK HERE) 

public hearings: local public hearings