BALTIMORE (AP) – Maryland utility regulators say they have set aside 10 days to hear a rate increase request from Pepco.

Testimony before the Maryland Public Service Commission begins Monday and runs through Friday. Four more days are scheduled next week and the final day is April 29.

Pepco asked the commission late last year for an increase that would add about $7 a month to the average residential bill. The utility also asked to impose a surcharge of about $1 a month starting in 2014.

Pepco officials said at the time that the utility has been working on upgrades for more than two years and customers are now experiencing fewer and shorter outages. Pepco was heavily criticized for its response to a storm last summer that caused widespread power outages.

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