PUC probing circumstances surrounding high PPL bills The electricity provider says customers “deserve better,” waiving late fees and shutoffs .

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission said it has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding unusually high bills recently received by customers served by PPL Electric Utilities.

The PUC also said it is investigating the accuracy and integrity of PPL’s billing practices.

The commission said the matter has been referred to the PUC’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement for investigation, which enforces the state public utility code and PUC regulations.

The announcement from the commission came the same day the president of PPL apologized to customers, saying the electricity provider has “fallen short of (our) standard in both our billing and responsiveness to customers.”

The apology from Steph Raymond comes after PPL used historical usage data to generate estimated bills many customers say seemed far in excess of their past use.

“If you received an estimated bill or have had difficulty reaching our call center, I apologize. Simply put, you deserve better, and we are committed to regaining your trust,” Raymond said in a written statement Tuesday.

Raymond cited earlier statements from PPL saying the estimated bills resulted from a technical problem that prevented PPL from using actual usage data for some customers’ bills sent between Dec. 20 and Jan. 9.