Utilities

Power and telephone lines crisscross our neighborhoods, and water and natural gas flow into our homes. In today's modern world, these utilities are necessities. It is thus important to know where to find information about your utilities when you have questions and whom to contact when there's a problem.

Electricity

In Texas there are three major types of electricity providers: cities, cooperatives, and private companies. If a city provides your power, you can contact them with any concerns you have regarding service or billing. Municipally owned electric companies typically are not overseen by state regulators.

If you belong to an electric cooperative, you can contact the administrators of the co-op with your concerns. Because co-ops are member-owned, their customers typically need to resolve disputes through the co-op. If you have a billing dispute that the co-op does not resolve, you can file a consumer complaint with our office.

If you have questions or concerns about a private electricity provider, you can contact the Public Utility Commission (PUC). The PUC oversees electric companies and may be able to assist you. If you have a billing dispute, you can also file a consumer complaint with our office.

For more information about municipal electric companies and co-ops, as well as a breakdown of the taxes, fees, and charges on your electric bill, visit the websites of the PUC and the Office of the Public Utility Counsel (OPC). The OPC provides representation to residential and small commercial consumers.

Telephone

The PUC also regulates land-line phone services. Contact them if you have a complaint about your local telephone service.

On the PUC website you can find information about the taxes, charges, and fees on your bill for several cellular phone carriers and standard telephone companies. You can also find telephone billing information, information about telephone service scams, and how to enroll with the Texas no-call list on the PUC website. Information about the federal Do Not Call list is also available.

The Federal Communications Commission also accepts consumer complaints about telephone service. The OPC provides representation to residential and small commercial consumers in matters involving telephone service as well.

Water

Several types of organizations provide water service in Texas. Cities and co-ops as well as Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) can supply water. If you have a concern about water quality, service, or billing, you can contact your water supplier directly. You may also wish to contact the Water Supply Division at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) with questions about water quality and service.

Natural Gas

In Texas the natural gas industry is principally overseen by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC). You can contact the RRC with complaints about the billing, purchasing, selling, shipping, transportation, or gathering practices of natural gas providers.

 

Regardless of the utility, you can file complaints with our office.  While the OAG may be limited in its ability to remedy your complaint, certain conduct may be actionable by our office as well.