SEATTLE – What if ownership of the social media website Twitter was turned over to its users?

That question isn't just hypothetical anymore. Shareholders at this year's annual meeting will vote whether to commission a study on what cooperative ownership would look like for the technology company.

Nathan Schneider, a media studies scholar-in-residence at the University of Colorado-Boulder, proposed the idea in the Guardian last fall after rumors swirled that Twitter was up for sale.

Schneider says he's been involved for a few years now in a movement called “platform cooperativism.”

"An effort to bring the cooperative business model into the online economy as a way of dealing with some of the abuses in terms of labor and surveillance and this sort of thing,” he explains. “And it just seemed like Twitter is an interesting case for that."

The vote on whether to commission the study on a Twitter co-op will come sometime before May 22. Schneider notes that the proposal isn't likely to pass, but says the goal is simply to keep the conversation going.

Opponents to the proposal argue that users could be more involved in decisions simply by buying stock, giving them a vote at meetings.

In fact, the Buy Twitter campaign encouraged users to buy stock so they could vote on the proposal. But Schneider says that misses the point.

"The way that a publicly traded corporation is set up – legally as well as culturally – and the way a stock market operates, it really orients participants to focus on the short-term value of the stocks that they own," he explains.

Schneider says successful co-ops span many industries, and include Washington-state-based clothing retailer REI, the Associated Press and the Green Bay Packers football team.

He also says the movement toward cooperative business models is something that is catching on among tech companies.

"This is a kind of model that we think can unlock a lot of value that the really investor-driven tech economy that we've had so far is not unlocking and that it can create some new potential in a huge variety of sectors," he states.





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People gathered outside Rocky Mountain Power headquarters in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, calling out the company for what they describe as "a strategy to keep Utah locked into high-cost, polluting fossil fuels."

The utility just released a new Integrated Resource Plan, which outlines how it will meet the state's energy demands.

Jonathan Whitesides, spokesperson for Rocky Mountain Power, acknowledged previous plans included more renewable resources but said the company tries to plan 20 years into the future and changes are almost inevitable. Electric rates could soon increase by more than 15% for residential customers if the Utah Public Service Commission approves a rate-hike request later this month.

"The commission has to determine, were we prudent in what we spent on behalf of the customers?" Whitesides explained. "Even though it is a 15.5%, the commission will determine whether that is reasonable and prudent."

Whitesides pointed out the rate increase would help cover costs associated with maintenance as well as energy projects, like the Rock Creek Wind Project in Wyoming. The company's latest plan also extends, rather than shortens, the life of coal operations in the state.

Stan Holmes, volunteer for the group Utah Needs Clean Energy, was at Tuesday's Salt Lake City event. He thinks costs will be passed onto Utahns if Rocky Mountain Power moves forward with its latest plan.

"It's not just the environmental community and the business community that's saying, 'What's going on here?' It's folks that have been tracking Rocky Mountain Power for a long time, saying, 'something smells wrong here,'" Holmes emphasized. "We're hoping the commissioners do now what they did 10 years ago, when they stopped Rocky Mountain Power from slapping a monthly surcharge on its rooftop solar customers."

Holmes called the utility's latest plan "terrible," but added he and others feel optimistic their message will be heard.

"When you take a look from an economic standpoint at what the future holds for Utah if we shift to clean renewables -- like geothermal, for example, which is given short shrift in this 20-year plan -- we wouldn't have any argument," Holmes contended.

President Donald Trump's administration has targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, so advocates for people in rural communities are pressing California lawmakers to step in.

Trump's new bureau director has moved to close the agency, claiming it had been weaponized against certain industries and individuals. The Republican-controlled House Financial Services Committee just voted to roll back a bureau rule on high bank overdraft fees.

Christine Chen Zinner, senior consumer policy counsel at the nonprofit Americans for Financial Reform, explained the rule's importance.

"This is a rule that would bring overdraft fees from $35 down to $5," Chen Zinner pointed out. "That would now save families $5 billion a year, or $225 per household per year that pays these overdraft fees."

Rural communities are often considered "banking deserts" with limited options for people to do their banking, making them more vulnerable to unfair business practices, which had been regulated by the bureau.

Zinner called on Rep. Adam Gray, R-Calif., Rep Jim Costa, D-Calif., and Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., all from districts in the Central Valley, to oppose efforts to weaken banking rules.

"They can either represent their constituents who need these protections, especially as they live in these rural banking deserts or they could side with big banks," Zinner contended. "This is really an opportunity to show who they answer to."

A recent report from the HEAL Food Alliance found since 2011, the bureau has returned $21 billion to people who had been scammed and handled nearly 850,000 consumer complaints from the Golden State alone.

Navina Khanna, executive director of the HEAL Food Alliance, said people who are the most in need would feel the brunt of the cuts.

"Weakening or eliminating the CFPB is going to harm rural communities and working families the most," Khanna argued. "We're trying to make sure that our policymakers defend us by defending the CFPB."

The bureau has also worked to keep medical debt off people's credit reports and handled a deluge of fraud complaints after natural disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires.

Nevada legislators and conservation groups this week stood up for policies they say will help lower energy bills, protect the outdoors and grow the state's economy.

Kristee Watson, executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, said NCL is working to hold utility monopolies such as NV Energy and Southwest Gas accountable. A recent survey found that almost 90% of respondents agree that both utility companies must do more to keep bills affordable.

Watson said Nevada families are crunching numbers to cover expenses.

"It is our job to show up and tell our legislators that we're going to advocate for ourselves and the rest of everyday Nevadans," she said. "Times are tough, the fight is hard, I am frustrated, I am exhausted, I know all of us are. But this is also a worthwhile fight."

Watson said they're advocating for legislation to create ratepayer protections to ensure utilities spend customer dollars wisely and responsibly. Meanwhile, companies such as NV Energy and Southwest Gas have contended they're forced to raise rates to ensure all Nevadans receive quality service. NV Energy says it uses grants and other payment options to reduce consumer costs. Earlier this year, the company asked the state's Public Utility Commission to increase its base-rate charges.

Assemblyman Howard Watts, D-Las Vegas, called conservation and clean energy "quality of life issues." He said now is the time to address issues such as excessive heat, drought and wildfires by unlocking the potential of renewables. That's why he's sponsoring Assembly Bill 458, also known as the Solar-Power Affordable Housing bill, which he said "will expand the use of rooftop solar power in affordable-housing communities. These are residents who are dealing with these issues every day, but unfortunately they've been locked out from the benefits that solar energy can provide."

AB 458 awaits action in the Committee on Growth and Infrastructure.

Assemblyman Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, sponsored the bill that led to the creation of the Nevada Outdoor Education and Recreation Grant Program. He said the initiative provides outdoor experiences for Nevada students, and that continued support is vital.

"This grant is about equity and sustainability," he said. "It is about making sure that future generations inherit not just the beauty of Nevada's outdoors but the ability to enjoy it safely and responsibly."