You usually can't shop around for your electricity because one company owns the wires to your house. I explain that this came from a long‑ago choice: the grid costs a fortune to build and maintain, so regulators gave each company a territory. At the time, that made sense, since you can't have five companies stringing competing wires down every street. But regulators didn't actually control things, and without competition, our grid gets worse, you pay more, and those companies make more. We built a system on purpose with no exits for customers and little real choice.

Takeaways:

• You probably have never switched your power company, and I explain why it rarely happens.
• We say one utility usually owns the wires to your house, so you cannot shop around.
• You should know the grid was built that way because it cost a fortune to build and maintain.
• I point out regulators were meant to control prices, but they failed to keep companies honest.
• We warn that without competition the grid declines, service falls, and you end up paying more for worse service.
• You should understand we purposely built a system with no exits, leaving customers stuck with few choices and weak incentives for improvement.

Links referenced in this episode:

• jamesabrown.net