• DPUC is governed by five commissioners

• The governor appoints the five commissioners with the consent of both chambers

• The commissioners elect their chairperson

• The department is responsible for regulating electric, gas, water, and telephone utilities.

1. The department recently approved significantly large rate increases for Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating in recent years, primarily due to their higher costs of purchased power. What can the department do to reduce the chances of similar increases in the future?

2. Under current law, there will be major changes in the electric market in 2007. Large customers will be subject to much higher levels of rate volatility, with their rates changing as often as once per month. What is the department doing to prepare customers for these changes?

3. What can the department do to encourage natural gas conservation?

4. The governor has proposed creating a new Department of Energy. How would you view DPUC's role vis-à-vis the new agency?

5. The water industry is regulated by the DPUC and the departments of public health and environmental protection. These agencies have conflicting or overlapping requirements in some areas. What is DPUC doing to improve collaboration with its sister agencies? Should the legislature give a single agency primary jurisdiction over this industry?

6. Currently, the cable TV and telecommunications industries are subject to different regulatory frameworks, even though cable companies are providing telecommunications services and telecommunications companies are providing video services. Should the laws governing the industries be changed to reflect these changes in these markets, and if so, how?