Marylanders are again being asked to pay more and getting little in return. Pepco’s recent filing seeks a $133 million rate hike, adding nearly $12 per month to customer bills starting next year. This comes after consumers just finished a season of increasing electric bills from utilities such as Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. For too many Maryland families, especially those on fixed incomes, these costs are becoming unsustainable.

The company claims this increase is needed to “improve reliability,” but families across the state know higher rates don’t always mean better service.

A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that, for as much as utilities attempt to blame increased demand for rate hikes, it is the infrastructure, including poles and wires, that is driving cost increases. That is squarely in the purview of the big utility monopolies. Ratepayers who are looking to pin the blame should look no further than the name on their bill.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Just look north to Massachusetts, where Gov. Maura Healey recently directed the Department of Public Utilities to conduct a first-ever comprehensive review aimed at lowering energy costs and holding utilities accountable. Maryland should follow suit.

We need leadership willing to demand transparency from our utilities, ensuring that every dollar from ratepayers delivers measurable improvements in reliable and affordable service. Without accountability, these rate hikes will continue to burden households without delivering the promised benefits.

Marylanders deserve fair rates, reliable service and a utility system that puts consumers, not profits, first.

Brooks Schandelmeier is the Ward 5 alderman on the Annapolis City Council.

The Baltimore Banner publishes letters to the editor, exclusive to our publication, of no more than 350 words. Letters can be submitted for consideration to letters@thebaltimorebanner.com.