Much has changed in the regulatory world since 1988 when Bob Anthony was first elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
Industries have evolved. Technology has transformed. The agency now oversees many more and broader issues.
“Despite unbelievable changes, some things don't change,” Anthony said. “What is still needed is a commissioner committed to the public interest who believes in honesty and integrity and openness, auditing and ethics.”
The country's longest-serving utility commissioner, Anthony on Thursday was sworn in for his fifth term on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Anthony said the average length of service for a utility commissioner in the country is 3.5 years.
Keeping up with the constantly changing regulatory and technological issues requires intense study.
“There are components of what we do that are as challenging as getting a master's degree,” said Anthony, who holds graduate degrees from the London School of Economics, Yale and Harvard.
Technology has changed both the companies the commission regulates and the commission itself.
“Mostly they've been benefits,” Anthony said. “To have digital communication from the office to our field personnel is critical. They can stop motor vehicles on the highway or catch them at a weigh station, and we can almost instantly call up their complete record and see if they have their insurance and registration. In the old days, you'd have to see if you could go down the highway to a pay phone and see if someone in the office could open up the file.”
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