Electric AvenuesTelecommunications reform breaks down old barriers and creates new opportunities.

If you own a small business in California, chances areyou've already begun to benefit from electricity industryderegulation, which officially began in the state on March 31.California, which previously had electricity costs 30 percent to 40percent higher than the rest of the nation, now gives consumers theability to shop around for a power service provider, band togetherwith other consumers for increased buying power, or, forresidential customers, stay with the same electricity provider andreceive a 10 percent discount on their bills.

As more states jump on the deregulation bandwagon and open theirmarkets to competition, opportunities to market power and relatedservices will abound, says Ken Maize, editor ofElectricityDaily, an online journal for the electricity industry. Thepotential U.S. retail market is more than $220 billion per year,says Maize.