The monopoly works well following a hurricane as line repair trucks from neighboring states pour in to restore power (and to get their little meters humming again). But they'll never be as arrogant as Virginia's "VEPCO".
I don’t know about Virginia’s trials, but if you check out who was the CEO of Southern Company when this began (may still be CEO), you’ll note affiliations this man has with global power brokers.
When you take the ratepayers of the poorest state in their corporate boundaries (and likely the nation), and shove a debacle like this down their throats, you sure as hell aren’t worried about them. In our state government right now, the only ones that seem to be doing their jobs are the Public Service Commission, and the governor.