Public Utility Research Center Articles

A worker with PG&E stands next to a PG&E utility truck

What the battle over control of PG&E means for US utility customers

November 19, 2019

Reading Time: 5 minutes By Theodore J. Kury, Director of Energy Studies, Public Utility Research Center, University of Florida Warrington College of Business There’s a battle raging over the ownership of PG&E Corp., one of the nation’s largest utilities, with cities, hedge fund managers and even customers all in the running. Growing liabilities over its role in several deadly wildfires in California forced the company to file for bankruptcy in January. It hopes to soon reemerge with a stronger balance sheet. The state’s governor has

Image of fire very close to homes in California.

California crisis of fires, blackouts decades in the making

November 18, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute “The utility that serves more than 5 million electrical customers in one of the world’s most technologically advanced areas is now faced again and again with a no-win decision: risk starting catastrophic deadly wildfires, or turn off the lights and immiserate millions of paying customers.  Pacific Gas & Electric is in bankruptcy, facing $30 billion in liabilities, billions more in needed upgrades to its system and an uncertain path to safely providing reliable power to a vast portion of California.

Google vs US Attorneys General | In 60 seconds

September 27, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute Attorneys Generals from 48 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. have launched an investigation into Google for possible antitrust violations. Is there a basis for these investigations, or are the AG’s trying to get a say in how to run the tech giant? Public Utility Research Center Director and Gunter Professor Dr. Mark Jamison shares his take on the antitrust probe.  

Warrington faculty member Anuj Kumar sitting in his office by a bookshelf holding up a magnifying class that reflects the courtyard outside of his office.

Research Roundup: Innovative ideas from Warrington in 2018-2019

August 14, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Over the 2018-2019 academic year, Warrington College of Business faculty members reminded us why they’re some of the best in the world. From producing hundreds of new research papers, to teaching countless students the fundamentals of business, to writing or being quoted in the news about trending topics, the innovative ideas from Warrington faculty members continued to elevate the college into one of the most respected in the world. Warrington faculty had 150 papers accepted or published in the 2018-19

Logos in four quadrants for Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google

For politicians on both left and right, it’s open season on tech companies

July 29, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute In three separate hearings last week, members of Congress spoke with big tech executives about Facebook’s cryptocurrency plans, alleged censorship by Google and antitrust issues in the industry. Director of the Public Utility Research Center and Gunter Professor Dr. Mark Jamison discusses how regulation of the tech industry could impact consumers in a story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jamison also recently wrote about how government regulation of big tech could cost consumers $700 million. Read his reasoning in a story

JEA building in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.

Experts Say Sale of JEA Would Be Biggest Public Utility Transaction In The Industry

July 26, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute As the city of Jacksonville, Florida contemplates privatization of its utility, Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA), the eighth-largest community-owned electric utility company in the United States and the largest in Florida, it has much to contemplate, especially considering it might be the largest transaction in the industry’s history, according to experts. Dr. Ted Kury, Director of Energy Studies at the UF Public Utility Research Center, who was part of the team that assessed the value of JEA, spoke with WJCT News

Google office in New York City

Public Utility Research Center Director panelist in big tech debate

March 22, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute On Thursday, Public Utility Research Center Director and Gunter Professor Dr. Mark Jamison was a panelist on Fox’s Deep Dive along with multiple editors from the Wall Street Journal. The panel discussion, titled “Big Tech Debate,” was hosted by deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page Dan Henninger. Dr. Jamison, Henninger, and Wall Street Journal assistant editorial features editors Jason Willick and Mene Ukueberuwa discussed the world of big tech and whether or not it needs to be broken up.

Farmer in wheat field uses a tablet device.

Public Utility Research Center Director invited to testify before US Senate on rural broadband expansion

March 13, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute On Tuesday, Public Utility Research Center Director and Gunter Professor Dr. Mark Jamison spoke as a witness to the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation as part of a hearing related to the expansion of broadband in rural areas of the U.S. The hearing, titled “The Impact of Broadband Investments in Rural America,” focused on the Federal Communications Commission’s order to improve the quality and expand the availability of rural broadband, in addition to opportunities and investments to

JEA building in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.

UF Public Utility Research Center values JEA up to $7.5 billion

December 13, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute The University of Florida Public Utility Research Center recently announced its findings for the value of the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA). Dr. Ted Kury, director of energy studies, spoke with reporters from The Florida Times-Union about the report. Be sure to check out other stories by the Jacksonville Business Journal and WJCT for additional insights from Dr. Kury. Read the full report by the Public Utility Research Center on the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund website.

A fallen tree on top of downed power lines

Why doesn’t the US bury its power lines?

October 17, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute It is nearing the end of a highly destructive hurricane season in the United States. The devastation of Hurricane Florence in North and South Carolina caused more than 1.4 million customers to lose power, and Hurricane Michael has cut service to an estimated 900,000 customers in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas. Dr. Ted Kury, director of energy studies at the Public Utility Research Center, explains why burying power lines to secure them from natural disasters, like hurricanes, might not