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Resident criticizes Newport’s Community Choice program, offers Kilowatt AI opt‑out solution
Summary
A resident told council the city’s Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) enrolls taxpayers automatically, offers a single supplier and has left customers paying a reported premium; he suggested Kilowatt AI as an opt‑out shopping agent and asked the manager’s office to review contractual issues, not to treat the meeting as a sales pitch.
A Newport resident criticized the city’s Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program during public comment, saying automatic enrollment and a single, six‑month supplier term have reduced consumer choice and left enrolled taxpayers paying above-market rates.
Roc Grama told the council that the program enrolled taxpayers automatically and that current pricing represents about a 22% premium compared with Rhode Island Energy’s last-resort service for the six-month contract term; he said the program had promised a discount and more supplier choice. He offered Kilowatt AI (kilowatt.ai) as a consumer tool that would autonomously shop energy supply plans and argued it could act as an opt-out resource to protect consumers from above-market rates.
Councilors did not endorse the product on the floor; the chair said the manager’s office would review the submission and the council would not turn the public comment period into a business proposal. Administration agreed to take materials to the manager’s office for review of contractual and procurement constraints. Grama emphasized this was intended as a taxpayer-protection proposal and not a direct sales pitch.
The council did not take immediate policy action on CCA terms during the meeting. Members asked staff to check contract terms and report back on whether procurement or contractual limits constrain supplier choice or price protections for enrolled taxpayers.
