Electrified Power Intervention

tems, the Rural Utilities Service (formerly Rural Electrification Adminis- tration), and federally owned power systems, makes a look back at the origins of political electricity relevant. The thesis of this essay, that govern- ment intervention into electric markets was not the result of market fail-

Another component of FDRs fight for public power was the creation of federal agencies to distribute power to those who were neglected by the traditional utilities, particularly farmers and other customers in rural areas. His administration created the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 and the Rural Electrification Association (REA) in 1935 to create and finance rural utility companies. The end result of the New Deal era regulatory intervention into the electric industry led to four primary types of service providers: private investor-owned utilities (IOUs) with stock freely traded in the marketplace by shareholders; publicly-owned utilities, such as those owned by municipalities; cooperative utilities which were usually found in rural communities; and federal electric utilities, such as the TVA and REA.

Such details provide a deeper understanding and appreciation for Electrified Power Intervention.