Rising expectations in the Dog Days of summer.
Michael T. Burr is Fortnightly’s editor-in-chief. Email him at burr@pur.com.
In this month 13 years ago, Electric Light & Power (EL&P) magazine published my editorial, “It’s Reliability, Stupid!” I’d been covering this industry for 10 years, but that editorial elicited more phone calls and letters than anything I’d previously written. A few readers were angry or offended, but most strongly supported my assertion that utilities needed to start replacing their aging distribution infrastructure, or they would see their market positions erode—along with customers’ fraying patience. One utility even sought permission to re-publish the editorial in its company newsletter, along with a note from the CEO endorsing the message.