Court: D.C. PSC can withhold utility revenue data

Too bad for transparency and what's best for consumers...

The D.C. Court of Appeals has ruled the D.C. Public Service Commission is not obligated to publish the locally generated revenues of large utilities such as Verizon, Pepco and Washington Gas Light Co.

The Office of the People's Counsel, a utility watchdog, had sued to force the release of the information, saying it was needed to determine if customers were entitled to a rebate under laws regulating fees. The commission argued the revenue data can be proprietary.

The decision doesn't necessarily end the litigation. Associate Judge Phyllis Thompson said in the legal opinion that the people's counsel can still file a Freedom of Information Act request for the data.