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Re:‘This Did Not Go Well’: Inside PG&E’s Blackout Control Room by tomohawk on Saturday October 12, 2019 @05:03PM (#21236294)
Private companies electrified the US. This model was pioneered by Samuel Insull.

https://www.masterresource.org/insull-samuel/insull-rural-el...

FDR didn't like competition for attention, and hounded Insull in court for years.

Re:‘This Did Not Go Well’: Inside PG&E’s Blackout Control Room by dredmorbius on Saturday October 12, 2019 @06:48PM (#21236902)
Private companies electrified ... specific high-profit regions of the United States. They were profoundly indifferent to most rural regions, leading to the Rural Electrification Act (1936).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Electrification_Act

Thomas Edison's first power plant, the Pearl Street Power Station (1882) powered just 82 customers initially, largely commercial and industrial users.

Large-scale electrification within the US was developed through public works including the Tenessee Valley Authority, Bonneville Power Administration, Hoover Dam, and numerous others. Four federal regional power administrations, the BPA, Southeastern, Southwestern, and Western Area Power Administrations, still exist.

Many rural regions are served by electric (and telephone) cooperatives:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_utility_cooperatives#U...

Re:‘This Did Not Go Well’: Inside PG&E’s Blackout Control Room by tomohawk on Sunday October 13, 2019 @09:38AM (#21240276)
Samuel Insull developed the public utility model and proved it to work by extending publicly regulated utilities into 30 states prior to the advent of the New Deal.

Insull was put out of business by New York bankers who wanted to take over his business.

http://blog.heartland.org/2013/07/samuel-insull-getting-the-...

FDR needed enemies to blame to get his New Deal, and he had Insull hounded in the courts. Insull was found not guilty of any wrongdoing, but died penniless.

If you want to know history, you have to find better sources than wikipedia. There are plenty of books about this great man and this interesting period of history.

Re:‘This Did Not Go Well’: Inside PG&E’s Blackout Control Room by dredmorbius on Sunday October 13, 2019 @11:27AM (#21240889)
Wikipedia isn't my source. It is, however, a reliable reference for well-established facts. Such as the identity and general background of government utilities.
Re:‘This Did Not Go Well’: Inside PG&E’s Blackout Control Room by jhayward on Sunday October 13, 2019 @12:40AM (#21238397)
Texas was largely transformed by the Rural Electrification project of LBJ. Wouldn't have happened without the government.