Water utility association, on behalf of its nonprofit members, sought review of decision of the Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC) to adopt regulation requiring utilities to waive utility deposits for certified domestic violence victims for a period of 60 days.
The Chancery Court affirmed. Association appealed.
The Supreme Court of Mississippi held that customer deposits were included in the definition of the term “rate” as used in Public Utilities Act, which prohibited the MPSC from making rules that regulated the rates of nonprofit public utility association members, and thus MPSC lacked statutory authority to adopt regulation at issue.