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Cincinnati Bell Energy Represents Integrated Marketing Partnership, Not Simply Name Licensing
June 22, 2011
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Viridian Energy's electric supply offer at Duke Energy Ohio is being fully integrated into Cincinnati Bell's suite of products under the agreement which brands the offer as Cincinnati Bell Energy.
The creation of Cincinnati Bell Energy (5/18), as well as its commencement of service (6/14), were first reported by Matters.
Cami Boehme, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Communications for Viridian Energy, confirmed that the relationship is an integrated marketing partnership with Cincinnati Bell, as opposed to a simple licensing agreement for just the Cincinnati Bell name.
As such, Cincinnati Bell Energy will be offered by Cincinnati Bell to its existing telecomm, internet, and television customers through a variety of touch points, including Cincinnati Bell bill inserts, retail stores, customer service reps, and, as previously reported, the Cincinnati Bell website.
Viridian will not utilize its traditional network marketing approach at Duke Energy Ohio, and instead will rely on the Cincinnati Bell touch points and various mass marketing avenues utilized by Cincinnati Bell.
As of the end of the first quarter, Cincinnati Bell had 590,800 access lines within its incumbent local exchange carrier territory, 259,000 high speed internet subscribers, and 504,000 wireless customers. Cincinnati Bell's territory extends beyond the territory of Duke Energy Ohio.
Viridian declined to discuss specifics of the agreement, but confirmed that part of the consideration to Cincinnati Bell will be residuals from enrollments with Cincinnati Bell Energy.
Boehme said that Viridian first approached Cincinnati Bell with the partnership. Among other things, Viridian's green offerings (which will be exclusively 100% green at Duke Energy Ohio) were important to Cincinnati Bell when considering to offer its customers an energy option, Boehme said.
Cincinnati Bell Energy is licensed to sell retail electricity and natural gas in Ohio. Boehme said that Viridian anticipates the launch of its gas offers -- in Ohio as well as other states where it is licensed but not yet active on the gas side -- sometime in the fall.
As previously reported, Cincinnati Bell Energy is offering a monthly variable, 100% wind product, currently priced at 5.99 cents per kWh. Savings are guaranteed over 12 months, but customers must submit copies of their bills for 12 months to Viridian in order to redeem any savings guarantee (see 6/14 for details). The offer is the only 100% renewable product on PUCO's Apples to Apples chart.
Viridian Energy serves nearly 160,000 customers in 18 markets and six states.
Cincinnati Bell Inc. is described as, "the first telecom provider to offer retail energy supply to residential customers along with its other services packages including entertainment, internet and phone," although in most media coverage this is being shortened to simply the first telecomm offering retail energy.
Cincinnati Bell may be the first incumbent local exchange carrier to offer residential energy as part of a larger suite including entertainment, internet, and phone; however, there are arguably other telecomms providing retail energy supply to residential customers.
Under a generic definition of telecomm, including wireless, companies such as Pocket Wireless are providing both telecommunications and residential energy.
Even if the definition of telecomm were limited to local exchange carriers, IDT Corp. and dPi Teleconnect/dPi Energy serve residential energy and telecomm customers. U.S. Energy Partners, now owned by Paetec, serves residential energy customers, though Paetec's telecomm operations are focused on the commercial market.
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