The Public Service Commission meets this week to discuss a possible ban on communication.

Public Service Commission Robert Clayton says it’s a meeting to review findings from the commission’s ethics consultant who is studying its standards of conduct between commissioners and regulated utilities.

Clayton says the move would help regain public confidence in the commission after a number of motions that have been filed against various commissioners over the past five years that involved discussions between commissioners and regulated entities while a case is ongoing.

The meeting today is at 1 p.m. in the Governor Office Building in Jefferson City and is open to the public.

"Our ethics workshop process is very important for the public, because the public needs to have confidence in our process and our decisions," Clayton says. "What I’ve proposed is that we have an outright ban on communications between utilities and commissioners while cases are pending. I don’t think there is any matter that should be up for discussion while those very difficult matters are before the commission."

Clayton says there have been a number of motions that have been filed against various commissioners over the past four or five years, most of them involving communications between commissioners — who are the decision-makers and the regulated entities the commission is charged with regulating — that have led to motions to recuse or requests for people to not participate in those cases.

"I think what we need to do is put a program in place that sets a bright line on what’s being communicated while a case is pending," he says.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]