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They call it a "connection fee" or something like that. 5, 10, 20 dollars added on your bill for simply being connected to the utility. When my only gas applian

They call it a "connection fee" or something like that. 5, 10, 20 dollars added on your bill for simply being connected to the utility. When my only gas appliance was the heating, I got bills every month in the summer with 0 usage but I still owed them money. Every utility does this. They all tack on extra fees for imaginary purposes.

vel0city 4y ago
> They all tack on extra fees for imaginary purposes. I can assure you maintaining all the infrastructure so gas can still be delivered in the winter is not imaginary. It's not like during the summertime all the gas company workers get laid off and nothing happens at the utility.
- rolenthedeep 4y ago
  That's a rationalization. The utility will already be balancing their budget to accommodate seasonal consumption. It happens every year, it's pretty trivial to plan for. Plus, you're making the very large assumption that all of these fees are actually being used for infrastructure. I think you'll find in most cases that the amount spent on infrastructure is vastly lower than the amount of fees collected. I pay a service fee for my internet connection, and so do the other several million people the utility services. So why do new customers have to pay thousands of dollars to have a new fiber run down their street? Why is infrastructure not upgraded to handle the actual load? Lines are so oversold that you typically get a tenth of your rated bandwidth, on fiber. Always remember that the utility is a for-profit company. Their goal is not to maintain high standard infrastructure and service, it's to make money. So they add on little fees that sound reasonable and hope you never think about it.
  - vel0city 4y ago
    > I pay a service fee for my internet connection, and so do the other several million people the utility services. Technically, internet connectivity is usually not considered a "utility" in the US. They have far fewer regulations than a utility like a gas company. It is not really accurate to compare a gas company to an ISP in the US. The rates and fees which the gas company can charge me are controlled by government regulatory bodies here in Texas. I can't say the same for internet. The gas company needs to get approval for all their work, they can't arbitrarily add or change fees without approvals, and the rates per CCF are determined based on negotiations with regulators. And I'm in one of the most deregulated utility places in the US.

vel0city 4y ago

> They all tack on extra fees for imaginary purposes. I can assure you maintaining all the infrastructure so gas can still be delivered in the winter is not imaginary. It's not like during the summertime all the gas company workers get laid off and nothing happens at the utility.

rolenthedeep 4y ago
That's a rationalization. The utility will already be balancing their budget to accommodate seasonal consumption. It happens every year, it's pretty trivial to plan for. Plus, you're making the very large assumption that all of these fees are actually being used for infrastructure. I think you'll find in most cases that the amount spent on infrastructure is vastly lower than the amount of fees collected. I pay a service fee for my internet connection, and so do the other several million people the utility services. So why do new customers have to pay thousands of dollars to have a new fiber run down their street? Why is infrastructure not upgraded to handle the actual load? Lines are so oversold that you typically get a tenth of your rated bandwidth, on fiber. Always remember that the utility is a for-profit company. Their goal is not to maintain high standard infrastructure and service, it's to make money. So they add on little fees that sound reasonable and hope you never think about it.
- vel0city 4y ago
  > I pay a service fee for my internet connection, and so do the other several million people the utility services. Technically, internet connectivity is usually not considered a "utility" in the US. They have far fewer regulations than a utility like a gas company. It is not really accurate to compare a gas company to an ISP in the US. The rates and fees which the gas company can charge me are controlled by government regulatory bodies here in Texas. I can't say the same for internet. The gas company needs to get approval for all their work, they can't arbitrarily add or change fees without approvals, and the rates per CCF are determined based on negotiations with regulators. And I'm in one of the most deregulated utility places in the US.