John Oliver on the power of US utility companies: ‘The only game in town’

The Last Week Tonight host digs into the profit motives of monopolistic utility companies and the regulators who are unwilling or unable to moderate them

On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver tore into the utility companies that have near-monopolistic control over the US power grid, which set high prices and are prone to scandal. “Just Google your utility company right now and the word ‘scandal’, and chances are they’ve gotten into some major trouble,” he said on Sunday evening. “It’s basically like Googling your local Jimmy John’s and E coli, or the name of your favorite teacher from high school and January 6. You’re not going to like the results that you find.”

Perhaps the deadliest scandal of recent years was Pacific Gas & Electric in California, whose neglect of crumbling infrastructure led to the 2018 Camp fire, the largest wildfire in state history. The company has faced billions of dollars in fines, but continues to operate. “And if you’re thinking, how the fuck is that possible, that is what this story is about,” Oliver explained. “It’s about the incredible amount of power that we give to utilities, how weakly they can be regulated, and the damage they can do.”

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