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Possibly due to overregulation. The power company wants to cut corners. The government wants to prevent that. So there is constant lawfare between governments
by wisty 2y ago
Possibly due to overregulation.
The power company wants to cut corners. The government wants to prevent that. So there is constant lawfare between governments and highly regulated companies, with neither really caring if it leaves the customer out of pocket (since regulators can blame the bills on the company).
The company outsmarts the regulators so the regulators carpet bomb them with so much regulation that they hope it will plug all the loopholes. The incentives between them are simply too far apart. And with inbuilt market failures (due to it being a monoppoly) you don't have effective market mechanisms that allow the government to just set basic safety standards and get out of the way.
It's closer to the USSR than social democracy. http://highered.blogspot.com/2009/01/well-intentioned-commissar.html http://highered.blogspot.com/2009/01/well-intentioned-commis...
See also, healthcare.
- heylook 2y ago[flagged]
- imajoredinecon 2y agoFor what it’s worth, I just took the parent comment’s wording as metaphor.
- zmgsabst 2y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawfare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawfare
- dang 2y agoPlease don't cross into personal attack in HN threads. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- dv_dt 2y agoIf you look a recent regulations that affect homeowner solar rates, it's quite the opposite, with the California Public Utility Commission being quite beholden to private utility wishes to the point of making home solar arrays much less cost effective so that utilities can be the only source of solar from larger grid installs. Large utility solar installs are inherently more cost efficient anyway, but the finger on inhibiting home solar was completely unnecessary yet still eagerly passed by the PUC.