Business Insider called Pepco “the most hated business in America” last July after a nationwide survey revealed the utility’s customers experienced 70 percent more power outages than residents of other big cities, and that the outages lasted twice as long on average. A year later, Pepco seems determined to retain this dubious distinction.

Citing the authority granted to it by the D.C. Public Service Commission, Pepco has threatened to cut off power to 600 local customers within 10 days simply because they had not yet had “smart meters” installed. All residential customers in D.C. must have smart meters installed by 2013, financed by a $44.6 million federal stimulus grant.