Marybel Batjer

The state’s top utility regulator on Wednesday berated the state’s major communications providers for “significant” failures of cell, cable and Internet systems during last month’s fires and Public Safety Power Shutoffs – and ordered them to explain what went wrong during a hearing later this month.

The president of the state’s Public Utilities Commission threatened Tuesday to impose hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines against PG&E over its alleged mishandling of power shutoffs last month that she said jeopardized public safety.

California’s top regulator excoriated top executives of the state’s largest utility even as Pacific Gas & Electric repeatedly said they know they failed to meet public expectations when it cut the power to more than 2 million people last week.

California’s largest utility pledged to improve communications. But it reminded state regulators that its difficult decision to pre-emptively shut off power to more than 2 million people last week may have prevented deadly wildfires.

After last week’s Public Safety Power Shutoff by PG&E that left more than 700,000 customers without power, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday called on the utility to give a credit or rebate to affected residents and businesses.

The head of the state’s Public Utilities Commission on Monday ordered PG&E to revamp its power shutdown program to avoid the kind of chaos and breakdowns that were evident in last week’s planned blackouts.

California’s utility regulator is issuing a series of sanctions against Pacific Gas and Electric for what it calls “failures in execution” during the largest planned power shut-off in state history to avoid wildfires.

Following days of preventive outages by PG&E, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he will ask the company to provide every affected customer with a sum of money.

The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday blasted PG&E amid the utility’s Public Safety Power Shutoff, which has affected more than 700,000 customers throughout the state since Wednesday.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is launching an effort to modernize the state’s embattled Department of Motor Vehicles.