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32-477: The Mississippi Public Service Commission ( MPSC or PSC ) is a government agency which regulates telecommunications, electric, gas, water and sewer utilities in the U.S. state of Mississippi . The commission was created in 1884 and in its early history was tasked with regulating various transport and telecommunications industries in the state. It assumed its current name in 1938 and was given jurisdiction over electric, gas, and water utilities in 1956. The agency

64-399: A license to operate from the sector regulator. This license will set out the conditions by which the companies or organizations operating within the industry must abide. Regulatory regimes vary by country and industry. In the most light-touch forms of regulation, regulatory agencies are typically charged with overseeing a defined industry. Usually they will have two general tasks: In

96-423: A Microsoft certified technician. Callers assume that the victim has a computer running a Microsoft Windows operating system (users of other operating systems, such as Linux, are a minority and are likely to be technically knowledgeable). They will get the computer owner to give the caller remote access using a genuine networking service or website like ammyy.com or TeamViewer . They will use the ‘Event Viewer’ tool on

128-517: A caller authentication protocol designed to stop caller id spoofing by exchanging tokens between cellular carriers. Grandparent scam A telephone call is made to an elderly person with a family member who is supposedly in some kind of trouble, usually claiming to be a grandson or granddaughter. These calls are often placed late at night or early in the morning when most people are not thinking as clearly. Callers assume that their targets have grandchildren and will usually have several other people in on

160-811: A combination of known bad actors, AI powered blocking including neighborhood spoofing and unusual calling pattern. Scam Identification is a feature of the T-Mobile and Metro carrier network which can be controlled by the app Scam Shield, customer care or dialing the short code #664 to turn on or off scam blocking. There are a number of phone apps which try to identify, screen, send to voicemail or otherwise deter telemarketing calls with most major carriers providing some level of free scam call screening. "Call Blocking" . Federal Trade Commission . Retrieved 2021-08-04 . Additionally both iOS and Android operating systems offer scam screening options. In addition phone carriers may provide caller authentication using STIR/SHAKEN

192-411: A familiar line: they were traveling in another country with a friend, and after a car accident or legal infraction, they are in jail and need bail money wired to a Western Union account as soon as possible for their quick release. The caller does not want anyone told about the incident, especially not family. Before the victim can ask too much about the situation the phony child will hand the phone over to

224-527: A new Public Utilities Staff agency under the control of an executive director appointed by the governor. The legislation also barred commissioners from having private meetings with or accepting gifts and campaign contributions from utility representatives. In 2003, the legislature passed the Mississippi Telephone Solicitation Act, creating an official state do not call list and giving the PSC

256-467: A part of the executive branch of the government and have statutory authority to perform their functions with oversight from the legislative branch. Their actions are often open to legal review . However, some regulatory bodies are industry-led initiatives rather than statutory agencies, and are called 'voluntary organisations'. They may be not-for-profit organisations or limited companies. They derive their authority from members' commitments to abide by

288-480: A power company to settle a lawsuit. Commissioner D.W. Snyder was also convicted for his involvement in the scheme and resigned. In response, the legislature floated several proposals in 1990 to reform the commission. They rejected a plan to have the commissioners chosen by appointment and instead opted to move the Public Utilities Staff—responsible for supplying the commissioners technical advice—to

320-414: A record of its official actions, and delivering its subpoenas. The Finance and Personnel Department oversees the commission's finances and staff. The Legal Department, led by a general counsel, offers the PSC legal advice and coordinates its litigation-related activities. The Information Systems Department maintains the PSC's internal online network, supplies information technology support to staff, and runs

352-785: Is a lack of effective competition . Examples of regulatory agencies that enforce standards include the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom ; and, in the case of economic regulation , the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets and the Telecom Regulatory Authority in India . Regulatory agencies may be

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384-437: Is led by three commissioners, with one commissioner elected by voters in each of the state's three Supreme Court districts. Commissioners are elected to four year terms in the general election of the same year that other state and county officials are chosen. The current commissioners are Chris Brown (Northern District), De'Keither Stamps (Central District) and Wayne Carr (Southern District). On March 11, 1884, legislation

416-461: Is led by three commissioners. One commissioner is elected by voters in each of the state's three Supreme Court districts. Commissioners are elected in the general election of the same year that other state and county officials are chosen. Candidates for seats on the body are required by the state constitution and state statute to have resided in Mississippi for at least five years before the date of

448-776: The governor of Mississippi and then selected thereafter by the legislature to serve two-year terms until 1892. From 1886 to 1906 the body served as the Board of Control of the Mississippi State Penitentiary . During the legislature's 1938 session, the Motor Carrier Regulatory Act was passed. The law changed the name of the Railroad Commission to the Public Service Commission and gave it full responsibility for regulating motor carriers. In 1956,

480-636: The Utility Act was adopted, expanding the commission's jurisdiction to electric, gas, and water utilities. Sewer services were integrated into its purview in 1968. The Public Utilities Reform Act of 1983 provided for the hiring of additional staff and tasked the commission with monitoring large contracts and construction projects undertaken by utility companies. In January 1988, Public Service Commissioner Lynn Havens resigned from office before pleading guilty in June 1989 to conspiracy charges related to an attempt to coerce

512-429: The accomplice who will then request money to be transferred to release the grandchild from jail. While this is commonly called the grandparent scam, criminals may also claim to be a family friend, a niece or nephew, or another family member. Microsoft scam A telephone call is made saying typically that virus activity has been detected on the victim's computer; the overseas caller then states they are from Microsoft or

544-632: The agency's website. The Utility Investigation Department fields consumer complaints and monitors service delivery. The Gas Pipeline Safety Division performs safety inspections of intrastate natural gas pipelines . The Public Utilities Staff is not controlled by the commission but is tasked with advising it on the suitability of rates charged and services delivered to consumers and making recommendations for courses of action it should pursue. The current commissioners are: Regulatory agency These are customarily set up to strengthen safety and standards, and/or to protect consumers in markets where there

576-445: The benefit of the public at large). The existence of independent regulatory agencies is justified by the complexity of certain regulatory and directorial tasks, and the drawbacks of political interference. Some independent regulatory agencies perform investigations or audits , and other may fine the relevant parties and order certain measures. In a number of cases, in order for a company or organization to enter an industry, it must obtain

608-487: The computer to highlight the Red-X Errors and Yellow Warnings which are supposedly signs of an infection, when in fact these are normal and harmless logs They also encrypt the owner's password database, preventing access to the computer without the scammers' password, essentially locking the victim out of their own computer and ensuring that they themselves will be paid. At this stage the caller then has complete control over

640-399: The computer, and can display further alarming displays, as well as installing malware. The cold caller will then offer to remove the viruses and malicious malware (some of which they have installed themselves) and install security software and provide an ongoing support service costing up to $ 500. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reported a huge crackdown on tech support scams and ordered

672-485: The delivery of services, and determines whether the construction of utility facilities are for the benefit of the public. Per state law, it can fix "reasonable standards, regulations and practices of service" for utility companies and impose safety standards on gas utilities. When a new executive director of the Public Utilities Staff is sought, the commissioners are required to suggest at least three candidates for

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704-537: The election to be eligible. The commissioners serve four-year terms beginning on January 1 of the year following the election. Vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment. The commissioners' individual salaries are $ 78,000 per year, but are set to increase to $ 95,000 annually in 2024. They are required to meet by law the first Tuesday of every month in their office, though they may skip up to two such meetings per annum. They may also convene additional meetings elsewhere as they deem necessary. The meetings are subject to

736-787: The event that the regulated company is not in compliance with its license obligations or the law, the regulatory agency may be empowered to: In some instances, it is deemed in the public interest (by the legislative branch of government) for regulatory agencies to be given powers in addition to the above. This more interventionist form of regulation is common in the provision of public utilities , which are subject to economic regulation . In this case, regulatory agencies have powers to: The functions of regulatory agencies in prolong "collaborative governance" provide for generally non-adversarial regulation. Ex post actions taken by regulatory agencies can be more adversarial and involve sanctions, influencing rulemaking , and creating quasi-common law. However,

768-607: The post to the governor, who then nominates one of the candidates to be confirmed in the post by the State Senate . The PSC fields utility consumer complaints, holds hearings, and makes investigations into utility complaints and instances of telemarketing fraud . The commission has the power to issue subpoenas . It can prescribe mandates to utility companies and fine them up to $ 5,000 per day for outstanding violations and can issue fines no greater than $ 10,000 to telemarketing firms which violate state laws. The Public Service Commission

800-512: The power to fine telemarketers who called persons who registered their phone numbers on the list. On July 1, 2004, the responsibility for regulating motor carriers was transferred from the PSC to the Mississippi Department of Transportation . The Public Service Commission is responsible for regulating telecommunications, electric, gas, water, and sewer utilities in Mississippi. It monitors and approves rates charged to consumers, monitors

832-573: The roles of regulatory agencies as "regulatory monitors" provide a vital function in administering law and ensuring compliance. Telemarketing fraud Telemarketing fraud is fraudulent selling conducted over the telephone . The term is also used for telephone fraud not involving selling. Telemarketing fraud is one of the most persuasive deceptions identified by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Telemarketing fraud often involves some sort of victim compliance whether it involves

864-405: The scam, such as a bail bondsman, the arresting police officer, a lawyer, a doctor at a hospital, or some other person. The first voice on the phone is usually by the scammer pretending to be the grandchild sounding upset and typically stating that there are only a few moments to talk. The caller may say that they have a cold if the victim does not recognize their voice. Their story generally follows

896-472: The scammer assumes they may be more trusting, too polite to hang up, or have a nest egg. Many older people have money to invest and are in need of profit. Also, they are less likely to report the fraud because they don't believe that consumer complaints would be solved. Scam Likely is a term used for scam call identification, the term was originally coined by T-Mobile for the scam ID technology created by First Orion. First Orion's scam blocking technology uses

928-510: The standards applied by the regulator, for instance as the UK's Advertising Standards Authority says "The self-regulation system works because it is powered and driven by a sense of corporate social responsibility amongst the advertising industry." Regulatory agencies deal in the areas of administrative law , regulatory law , secondary legislation , and rulemaking (codifying and enforcing rules and regulations, and imposing supervision or oversight for

960-589: The state open meeting law and the presence of two commissioners constitutes a quorum . The commission's activities are funded by appropriations from the State Legislature. The agency is headquartered in the Woolfolk State Office Building in Jackson, Mississippi . The commission retains an executive secretary, whose office is responsible for keeping the minutes of commission meetings, maintaining

992-431: The victim initiating contact with the perpetrator or voluntarily providing their private information to the offender; thus, fraud victims may experience feelings of shame and embarrassment that may prevent them from reporting their victimization. Older people are disproportionately targeted by fraudulent telemarketers and make up 80% of victims affected by telemarketing scams alone. Older people may be targeted more because

Mississippi Public Service Commission - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-602: Was signed into law creating the Mississippi Railroad Commission. During its early years the commission was tasked with regulating various enterprises, including railroads, telephone and telegraph companies, express companies , and some motor carriers . The newly-adopted state constitution in 1890 explicitly authorized the Mississippi State Legislature to empower a commission to regulate such industries. The first commissioners were appointed by

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