April 24, 2025
News media contact: Matt Helms 517-284-8300
Customer Assistance: 800-292-9555
The Commission initiated an action compelling CMC Telecom & Internet Inc. to show cause why it should not be found to be providing voice phone service in Michigan without proper licensing or registration.
In Case No. U-21904, MPSC Telecommunications Staff determined CMC Telecom & Internet, Inc. (CMCTI) may be operating in violation of the Michigan Telecommunications Act, which requires providers of telecommunications services in the state to register with the Commission and requires a license issued by the MPSC in order to provide basic local exchange service.
CMCTI applied for licensing to provide basic local exchange phone service in Michigan in 2017, but the Commission dismissed the application without granting a license. The company never refiled an application and is not currently licensed to provide phone service in Michigan.
The issues with CMCTI arose based on complaints from customers of the company, which revealed that the company was not listed in the Commission’s database of licensed telecommunications providers and appeared to be unlicensed.
The Commission directed CMCTI to file a response to today’s order by 5 p.m. May 8, 2025. The Company and its legal counsel also must appear for a prehearing conference May 29 at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, the Commission commenced license revocation proceedings against four providers of basic local exchange phone service that have not met their statutory and regulatory responsibilities to maintain a license, do not seem to be providing telecommunications services to Michiganders and haven’t responded to MPSC inquiries (Case No. U-21868).
The Commission directed representatives of ComTech 21 LLC; Osirus Communications Inc.; Crystal Automation Systems Inc., doing business as Casair Inc.; and MCC Telephony of the Midwest LLC. to file an intervention in Case No. U-21868 by May 20, 2025, and to appear for a June 10, 2025, joint hearing on the matter if they wish to retain their licenses.
MPSC AUTHORIZES LIMITED RELEASE OF UTILITY CUSTOMER DATA TO BETTER ASSESS DAMAGE FROM NORTHERN MICHIGAN ICE STORM, LEVERAGE FEDERAL RESOUCES
The Commission today authorized multiple utilities to release a limited amount of information about their customers to better ensure that the state can complete a thorough, accurate assessment of damage from the ice storm that devastated parts of northern Michigan (Case No. U-21916). Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for the region, allowing state resources to assist with recovery efforts coordinated by the Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (EMHS). The state is conducting a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration to validate damages and determine the overall impact of the storms. To help the process, EMHS asked the Commission to facilitate the release of limited customer data — name, address and contact information, such as telephone number and email address — so that impacted customers can be contacted to better gauge the damages for any request by the State of Michigan for additional federal government assistance. Customer data is protected by data privacy rules and can only be released under limited circumstances without a customer’s consent. The Commission today issued the authorization for sharing of this information, noting that the Commission’s rules currently permit the release for emergency situations. The Commission found that the need for an accurate assessment of ice storm damage is consistent with rules on when customer data may be released. The approval today applies to customers of Alpena Power Co. and Consumers Energy Co., both regulated by the MPSC. While the MPSC doesn’t regulate electric cooperatives, the Commission directed, to the extent to the extent permitted by law, three co-ops impacted by the storm — Cloverland Electric Cooperative, Great Lakes Energy, and Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op — to provide the same limited customer information to assist in the emergency energy response and aid in the effort to garner federal assistance in responding to the storm.
MPSC SETS FUNDING FACTOR AT $1.25 FOR MICHIGAN’S LOW-INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The Commission today formally adopted a funding factor for an expanding program that will offer more energy assistance for income-eligible Michigan households (Case No. U-17377). The MPSC set the Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund (LIEAF) funding factor at $1.25 per meter per month for the September 2025 to August 2026 billing months. Each billing meter, limited to one per household, is assessed $1.25 per month, which funds the Michigan Energy Assistance Program, or MEAP. With the increase, the LIEAF surcharge is expected to generate just over $75 million for energy assistance for the next fiscal year, a more than 50% increase over the $50 million cap that has been in place since 2014. The Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2024 approved legislation expanding the income eligibility threshold for Michigan households to receive MEAP support and the amount that may be raised for it. With expanded income eligibility, as many as 335,000 additional households may qualify for MEAP assistance. The funding factor amount can be raised by 25 cents each year until it reaches the maximum cap of $2 per meter, which may be adjusted to track inflation thereafter.
MPSC OKs SOLAR CONTRACT BETWEEN DTE ELECTRIC CO., CITY OF DETROIT
The MPSC approved an application by DTE Electric Co. for approval of the City of Detroit Solar Park, a special contract with the City of Detroit to develop the solar park in the city’s Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood (Case No. U-21361). The solar park will provide 10 megawatts of alternating current (MWAC) of renewable energy capacity, with commercial operation expected in the third quarter of 2026. The Commission also approved the project’s engineering, procurement and construction master service agreement and its master supply agreement for solar panel modules. The project, through DTE Electric’s voluntary green pricing program MIGreenPower, is part of Detroit’s Solar Neighborhoods program that aims to repurpose mostly vacant lots into clean energy facilities that power municipal buildings.
COMMISSION APPROVES SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON UPPER MICHIGAN ENERGY RESOURCES CORP.’S POWER SUPPLY COST RECOVERY PLAN
The Commission approved a settlement agreement permitting Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp. to implement a power supply cost recovery (PSCR) plan for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2025 (Case No. U-21600). But the Commission cautioned that it reserves judgement on the overall reasonableness of adjusted maximum PSCR factor mechanisms for electric utilities. The Commission noted its concern that adjustment mechanisms could potentially influence an electric utility’s analysis when comparing natural gas generation resources with alternatives that have less fuel cost volatility, while noting that such analysis is subject to review in integrated resource plan filings and other proceedings.
COMMISSION ADOPTS UPDATED RULES IN UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR MAJOR AND NONMAJOR ELECTRIC UTILITIES
The MPSC today formally adopted rules in the Uniform System of Accounts for Major and Nonmajor Electric Utilities, Mich Admin Code, R 460.9001 through 460.9019 (Case No. U-21768). The amendments the Commission approved were to reflect updates that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission made in 2023 to its Uniform System of Accounts for Major and Nonmajor Electric Utilities.
MPSC SEEKS COMMENT ON PROPOSED PROCESS TO REVIEW REQUESTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN MISO’S PROPOSED EXPEDITED PROCESS FOR NEW GENERATION ADDITIONS, SHOULD FEDERAL REGULATORS APPROVE MISO’S PROPOSAL
The Commission today proposed a process for addressing a request filed under the Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc.’s (MISO) Expedited Resource Addition Study (ERAS) tariff, should the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ultimately approve the grid operator’s proposal (Case No. U-21902). MISO is the regional transmission operator for most of Michigan, 14 other states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. Interested organizations and individuals may file comments on the Commission’s proposal. Comments should be paginated and must reference Case No. U-21902. Comments, which must be received by 5 p.m. May 15, 2025, may be mailed to Executive Secretary, Michigan Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 30221, Lansing, Michigan 48909, emailed to mpscedockets@michigan.gov, or submitted through the MPSC’s E-Dockets.
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To look up cases from today’s meeting, access the MPSC’s E-Dockets filing system.
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DISCLAIMER: This document was prepared to aid the public’s understanding of certain matters before the Commission and is not intended to modify, supplement, or be a substitute for the Commission’s orders. The Commission’s orders are the official action of the Commission.
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