{
  "id": 18817854,
  "title": "Alabama Power spent more than $6 million on ads last year — and customers can be billed for half of them until 2029",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/alabama-power-spent-more-than-6-million-on-ads-last-year-and",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-07T23:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/11/07/alabama-power-advertising-ratepayers-psc/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent decision, the Alabama Public Service Commission requested that Alabama Power voluntarily cease billing customers for television commercials and other ads the company spends on to promote its business. Alabama Power, the state's largest electricity provider, spends more than $6 million annually on advertising, with roughly $4 per customer. While the company is subject to a state law prohibiting the inclusion of advertising costs in customer electric bills, the regulation will not take effect until 2029. Currently, Alabama Power is permitted to bill customers for half of its non-public safety advertising expenses.\n\nDuring a recent commission meeting, Alabama Power's President Cynthia Lee Almond moved to request that the company exclude all advertising expenses from retail rate setting until December 31, 2028. Commissioners Jeremy Oden and Chris Beeker IV voted in favor of the motion, assuming the company consents. This interim measure would be reflected in the company's Rate Stabilization and Equalization filings for 2027 and 2028. Energy Alabama's executive director, Daniel Tait, welcomed the decision, stating it as a significant advantage for Alabama Power customers who have faced some of the highest electric bills in the country in recent years.",
  "summary": "Jim Zeigler, a perennial candidate in Alabama across several decades, will return to the PSC 48 years after leaving the commission.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}