As a disabled veteran, a father, and a full time Massachusetts worker, I am speaking up against the sky high electricity costs that are squeezing many of us dry. Recently, my electric bill shot up to nearly five hundred dollars despite cutting corners wherever possible. This was not for luxury or excess. It was for basic everyday living. Every month the anxiety of opening that bill gnaws at me, and I know I am not alone. I am sharing my bill publicly because thousands of families are living this reality silently, and I will not be silent anymore. As someone pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Administration, I understand how systems are supposed to operate, how budgets are structured, and when policy mechanisms are failing the people they are meant to serve. What I see in our utility structure is not efficiency or equity, but a breakdown in regulatory accountability.

My most recent bill is a clear example of how broken this system has become. I paid two hundred seventeen dollars for the electricity I actually used, but I was charged two hundred seventy two dollars in additional fees and surcharges approved without local oversight. That means more than half of my bill had nothing to do with electricity itself. I do not have solar. I use gas and standard electric service like millions of working families in this state. Yet I was charged solar program fees, net metering recovery charges, renewable energy add ons, and other costs that directly benefit homeowners who do have solar. If I do not have solar, I should not have to subsidize someone else’s equipment and savings. That is not equity. That is cost shifting.

A solar household enjoys tax incentives, renewable credits, and sharply reduced bills. A non solar household like mine pays higher fees to cover that gap. Renters, low income families, seniors, and working parents who do not own their homes are hit the hardest because they cannot install solar even if they wanted to. This creates a system where people with fewer resources subsidize those with more access and opportunity. No legal or fairness precedent would defend a model that forces households without solar to fund benefits they cannot use. It violates the principle that fees must be tied to direct benefit, a core standard in consumer protection, and contradicts the hierarchy of needs which recognizes heat, light, and home stability as fundamental necessities. When essential services become financially out of reach, government has an obligation to correct the imbalance and protect the people who rely on those services most.

This issue affects more than just my family. Massachusetts families pay some of the highest electricity delivery fees in the country, often double what similar households pay in states with municipal control. One in four households in our state struggles with energy costs, making electricity insecurity one of the fastest growing financial stressors for working families. These are not abstract numbers. These are real families choosing between food and heat, medication or electricity, stability or survival. No family should pay more in fees than electricity.

After more than a decade of serving our country, I believe deeply in fairness and justice. Looking at the current state of electric utility regulation in Massachusetts, we are far from those ideals. Massachusetts already has residential electricity rates about ten percent higher than the national average. Combined with the weight of non usage fees, this has pushed thousands of families to the financial edge. Ratepayers deserve to know where their money is going, who approved each fee, and why non solar households are being forced to subsidize programs they cannot use.

It is time for real regulation, transparency, and accountability. We call for a law that gives cities and towns the authority to approve or reject electric delivery rate increases and surcharges before they are added to our bills. If municipalities can regulate property, zoning, water, and public safety, they should be able to protect residents from unaffordable energy costs. We demand caps on delivery and transmission fees, mandatory transparency in how rates are calculated, and the removal of policy based fees from household bills. If solar programs and renewable incentives are important to the Commonwealth, they should be funded through the state budget, not hidden inside the bills of families who do not benefit from them.

Massachusetts needs specific actionable solutions. This means enforcing strict oversight of utility pricing, requiring independent audits, mandating clear public explanations of all fees, and guaranteeing that no household pays more in fees than in actual electricity. Renewable energy and efficiency programs should be designed to lower long term costs, not raise them for those who cannot participate. If this reform passes, households could see their bills drop by twenty to forty percent simply from removing unfair fees and restoring local control.

The Massachusetts Legislature has the power to change state law and give cities and towns authority to approve electric delivery rates, remove unfair fees from household bills, and require transparent pricing. The Governor oversees the Department of Public Utilities, appoints its leadership, and can direct urgent regulatory action. The DPU is the agency that approves all delivery fees, surcharges, and program add ons that appear on electric bills. Together these three entities hold full legal authority to correct this system and protect Massachusetts families from unaffordable electricity costs, and none of them can act without the others.

As Massachusetts residents and consumers, our voices are powerful. Together we can push for a system that is just and equitable. Stand with me in demanding an immediate overhaul of how our state handles electricity costs. Sign this petition so no family in Massachusetts has to dread opening their electric bill again. Your signature supports fairness, accountability, and the future stability of working families across our state.