Electricity suppliers scrutinized

Markey seeks action with letter to FTC

Senator Edward Markey is wading into the perennial debate about how consumers can shop for electricity, adding to momentum around concerns that many people are getting ripped off by sellers pitching themselves as cheaper alternatives to traditional utilities.

Markey, who is considered an expert on energy issues in Congress, is asking the Federal Trade Commission to probe what he describes as shady practices in the sector. His action comes at a time when the competitive supply industry is under increased scrutiny on Beacon Hill, with calls coming from Governor Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston to ban these suppliers from the residential market.

The key question facing policymakers: how to ensure that consumers benefit from the electricity deregulation that took place roughly 25 years ago.

Although customers can’t shop around for a new electric utility, they can look for an alternative for the energy supply portion of their electric bills, rather than allow Eversource or National Grid to pick their suppliers. Healey and Campbell worry about bad actors preying upon unsuspecting buyers. Now, Markey is expressing his concern, along with two of his colleagues in the state’s congressional delegation, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ayanna Pressley.

In a letter issued on Monday, the three legislators asked FTC chairperson Lina Khan to investigate an industry that they say all too often misleads and overcharges “vulnerable consumers for a basic and essential service.”