The parent company of RG&E and NYSEG will pay nearly $4 million for the botched response to the 2017 windstorm.
The state Public Service Department says the utilities failed to follow their own emergency response plans, leaving thousands of people without pay for days.
The money will be spent on stronger poles that can better withstand severe weather. And new equipment will allow the utilities to find out more quickly when hospitals and other critical facilities lose power. Regulators say the money must come from shareholders, not customers