Press Release

HARRISBURG, PA (May 8, 2000) – A six-foot-tall, 400-pound technological wonder named "EC", the Electric Choice robot, today participated in a drawing – broadcast live on the World Wide Web – and awarded personal visits to six Pennsylvania schools.

Middle school students across Pennsylvania logged on to www.electrichoice.com to view the drawing hosted by the Pennsylvania Electric Choice Program and held at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in Harrisburg.

EC has traveled the state as an educational ambassador of the Pennsylvania Electric Choice Program teaching consumers how to shop for an electric supplier under Pennsylvania's newly deregulated electric marketplace. During May, EC will visit the winning schools to teach students about electricity deregulation and the important role electricity plays in their lives.

According to Commissioner Terrance J. Fitzpatrick of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the visits by EC are part of a broad educational outreach effort that has been an important component of making Pennsylvania a national leader in educating consumers about the deregulated electric marketplace.

"Schools are just one of many partners the Public Utility Commission works with to educate Pennsylvanian’s about Electric Choice," said Fitzpatrick. "When we think about electricity, it's important to know that Pennsylvania really is at the head of the class."

The winning schools are: Adaire School, Philadelphia; Penn Elementary, Butler; St. Leo School, Ridgway; St. Thomas Aquinas, Croydon; Jackson Elementary, York; and Kratzer Elementary, Allentown. Plans call for EC to visit each school before the conclusion of 1999-2000 school year.

"The Electric Choice Program has embarked on a variety of educational initiatives to teach Pennsylvanians how to shop for an electric supplier," said James Cunningham, president of the Pennsylvania Electric Association. "EC is an excellent educational tool. He connects with consumers - young and old - to teach them about consumer choice and the important role electricity plays in their every day lives."

In February, an educational poster outlining significant achievements in the electric industry was distributed to middle schools across the state. The poster, titled "Achievers 2000," profiles men and women who have played an important role in the history of energy and technology. Teachers who completed and returned a survey that was enclosed with the poster were entered in the drawing held today. More than 150 teachers returned the survey and a majority of them said they used the poster as part of classroom educational activity.

EC is a 6-foot, 400-pound robot with full arm and head motion capability. He utilizes the newest technologies including a miniaturized microprocessor-controlled guidance system that allows him to move freely. When he speaks, his voice is amplified and synthesized for a realistic robot delivery.

Joining Commissioner Fitzpatrick at the Webcast today was Maureen Mulligan, Community Relations Liaison of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and EC, the Electric Choice robot.

In 1996, Pennsylvania became one of the first states in the nation to deregulate the electric industry when Gov. Tom Ridge signed the Electricity Generation Customer Choice & Competition Act. The Pennsylvania Electric Choice consumer education program began in June 1998 to prepare Pennsylvania electricity consumers for competition in electric generation. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and local electric distribution companies throughout Pennsylvania are conducting a three-year education program to help consumers understand the new system and how to participate in it.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Electric Choice Program, consumers should call their local electric distribution company or dial 1-888-PUC-FACT

(782-3228); or visit the Pennsylvania Electric Choice Program Web site at www.electrichoice.com. The site is accessible to persons who are visually impaired.