When I first ran for Louisiana Public Service Commission, in 2002, many of my friends had little awareness of the LPSC and questioned my decision. I had been a state senator for many years, and to them being a “commissioner” was a step down the political ladder and about as exciting as dog-catcher.

That is ironic, given the critical role of the LPSC in the economy of Louisiana and its bearing on the lives of every Louisiana resident. Our decisions on utility rates and regulation often are measured in the millions of dollars, and sometimes billions, in economic impact.

Each of the five commissioners represents nearly a million people. Our authority to guide the multibillion-dollar utility industry is extensive and constitutionally protected.

The commission is an independent regulatory agency created by the Louisiana Constitution of 1921. The LPSC succeeded the Railroad Commission, which was created by the Constitution of 1898.

The LPSC’s constitutional authority was reaffirmed in the 1974 Constitution. This article gave the LPSC jurisdiction over public utilities and transportation entities. The commission regulates more than 2,000 public utilities and transportation haulers (known as common carriers).

In addition to its regulation of utilities and common carriers, the LPSC has other powers and duties provided by law. These include legislative mandates such as the popular “Do Not Call” program, which I authored as a senator in 2001.

The 1974 Constitution redrew LPSC district boundaries to divide the state into five districts. The five commissioners serve overlapping terms of six years.

The commission is funded through fees collected from the utilities we regulate and receives no money from the state general fund. Its annual budget is $9 million, and it has a staff of 100 people working at our Baton Rouge headquarters and in the district offices of the five commissioners.

The district offices investigate consumer complaints on utility rates and service. My offices in Shreveport, Monroe and Ferriday handle more than 2,000 complaints per year.

Lack of familiarity with the Public Service Commission is doubly ironic given the notable figures who have served on the commission.

Huey P. Long, of Winnfield, won a seat on the predecessor Louisiana Railroad Commission in 1918, at the age of 25. Without backing from the political establishment or business interests, Long built a reputation as a champion of the common man, fighting utility rate increases and oil pipeline monopolies.

Long became chairman of the renamed Public Service Commission in 1922 and won statewide acclaim when he sued the Cumberland Telephone Co. for unjustly raising rates by 20 percent, successfully arguing the case himself on appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. The company was forced to send refund checks to 80,000 customers.

Jimmie Davis, of Jonesboro, was a nationally popular country music and gospel singer from the 1930s into the 1960s. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Davis was elected to the Public Service Commission in 1942 after four years in Shreveport city government. He stayed only two years, winning election to governor in 1944.

Another well-known North Louisiana figure who served on the LPSC was John McKeithen of Caldwell Parish. His early political career included service in the Louisiana House of Representatives and a run for lieutenant governor on the Long ticket.

In 1954 McKeithen won the North Louisiana LPSC seat. He served from 1955 to 1964, when he won an upset victory for governor.

In his campaign McKeithen questioned the disparity in charges between in-state and out-of-state telephone calls. He said it was cheaper to call from Shreveport to Jackson, Miss., than from Shreveport to Monroe.

McKeithen copied Long with populist attacks on the Southern Bell Telephone Co. He was credited with preserving the nickel payphone call when most states had gone to a dime or higher.

Kathleen Blanco, of Lafayette, was the first woman elected governor of Louisiana. Her long career of public service started in 1984 with her election as the first woman to represent Lafayette in the Legislature. She followed two terms in the House of Representatives by being the first woman elected to the Public Service Commission.

In 1996, Blanco was elected lieutenant governor. In 2003, after two terms in that office, she won the governor’s race, serving one term.

In my time on the LPSC I have tried to bring attention to the commission’s work. I’ve held repeated town meetings in each of the 24 parishes in my district. I’ve brought monthly commission meetings to North Louisiana 11 times. I’ve enacted rules helping battered women move to safety without paying utility deposits and preventing utility cutoffs during extreme weather.

The decisions of the Public Service Commission are made wiser when the public pays attention to our work.