That complexity would likely mean that smaller operators in the state would be out of the running to replace Con Edison. According to Richard Berkely, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Public Utility Law Group, Con Edison has the most complex system in the state, which also requires expertise in below-ground operating.

In the event that Con Edison loses ability to operate in the state, the company would leave, but its infrastructure and systems would remain in place. Let’s say Con Ed has its license revoked, then what?

And it took the commission over a year to impose penalties following the 2006 power outage in Queens and Westchester. A recent battle between Charter Communications, a cable provider regulated by the Public Service Commission, that began with the commission voting to kick the company out of the state took about a year to reach an official resolution. The five-person Public Service Commission would then vote on whether or not it would revoke the license, a decision Con Edison would almost certainly challenge in court. Cuomo has already announced that he plans to conduct an independent investigation into the blackout and whether the utility is meeting its legal requirements under its contract, which will take an indeterminate amount of time. Revoking a license would not happen overnight and would likely take months, if not years, to finalize. Could I wake up tomorrow and suddenly Con Ed is no longer my power provider? Should the license be revoked, a different utility company would have the opportunity to step in and take over providing electricity. For example, the state imposed an $18 million penalty on Con Edison in 2007, in response to a massive 2006 outage. The agency has the power to revoke an operating license or to impose penalties for violating regulations or services outages.

Can the state actually kick Con Edison out?Īll utilities in New York are licensed to operate by the state and regulated by the Department of Public Service’s Public Service Commission. Here’s what removing Con Edison from New York would entail. But that’s not to say it would be impossible. The prospect was met with skepticism, given that Con Ed effectively operates a monopoly in New York City. Andrew Cuomo declared that if Con Edison, the utility that provides most of New York City’s power, does not shape up, it “ can be replaced.” Following Manhattan’s brief power outage that left about 72,000 customers on the borough’s West Side without electricity for several hours, Gov.

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