The only thing worse than a monopoly is a completely unregulated monopoly.

SRP customers recently received a notice of “proposed” price increase of about 4 percent. Hidden in the fine print are unbelievable details that although clearly aimed primarily at solar customers this time, will drastically affect everyone long term.

Fact: solar customers will be forced onto a rate schedule that will dramatically increase their rates -- in some cases they may pay almost as much or more than if they had no solar.

In the winter, for example, solar customers will effectively get almost no usable credit for power generated-power they paid to produce. Fact: SRP does not answer to the Corporation Commission -- these “hearings” will be before the SRP Board -- yes, the SRP Board will be the only entity to consider any concerns the public has with this “proposal.”

Talk about the fox watching the hen house.

Fact: If you are a solar customer, SRP signed a 20-year contract with you that requires you to keep your system running so SRP can get tax breaks for your solar credits, but now SRP feels it can keep you obligated to this contract even though they unilaterally change the terms dramatically.

Don’t buy in to SRP’s arguments, this has nothing to do with SRP “needing” to make these changes -- this is a monopoly attempting to maintain its stranglehold on the market and eliminate competition.

This will affect everyone, solar or not. Go to srpprices.com and click on “get involved.” Write, call, fax, and come to the public comment sessions on Jan. 5 and 8 and Feb. 9. I’ll be there. Solar costs more now but traditional power costs increase an average of 4 percent a year while solar costs go down. SRP knows this.