PUC: Rate hike must wait until completion of billing probe

HALLOWELL, Maine (AP) - The Maine Public Utilities Commission says it won’t rule on Central Maine Power’s rate increase request until it completes an investigation into metering and billing problems.

The PUC ordered an investigation last winter into customer complaints about billing problems. Customers blamed a rollout of a new billing system on bills that shot up.

A decision in the metering and billing case is expected by December. Then the Maine PUC will then take up CMP’s request for a rate increase of nearly 11%.

Rep. Seth Barry, co-chair of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, said the delay in addressing the rate increase is smart. He said the people of Maine “deserve answers - not higher bills.”