Utility deregulation has ushered in fierce competition for ComEd. With nearly 200 suburban communities moving to purchase power on their residents' behalf at prices  up to 16 percent cheaper than ComEd's, it shouldn't come as a surprise that ComEd is now scrambling to recover these lost residential rate revenues.  ComEd contends that a key justification for hiking the charge soon is to ensure that departing customers pay for at least some of the power the utility has purchased on their behalf...

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