Reading Municipal Light Department
| Primary URL | Location | Industry | www[.]rmld[.]com |
Country
United States of America
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Government - Local
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Profile
The Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) is a publicly owned electric utility that provides electricity distribution services to the residents and businesses of the Town of Reading and several surrounding communities in Massachusetts. As a municipal light department, it operates under the authority of the local government and is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure that delivers power to its service area, including overhead and distribution lines, substations, and related equipment. Its core functions encompass meter reading, billing, customer service, and outage management, all aimed at ensuring a reliable and safe electricity supply for the community it serves.
RMLD serves over 68,000 residents across multiple Massachusetts towns, indicating a substantial customer base for a municipally operated utility. The department’s headquarters is located in Reading, Massachusetts, within the United States, where it coordinates operational, maintenance, and administrative activities. Being a department of the Town of Reading government, RMLD is a not‑for‑profit entity that reinvests any surplus into system improvements and community initiatives, and it is subject to oversight by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities regarding rates and service standards.
A distinguishing attribute of RMLD is its status as a locally owned utility, which emphasizes community accountability and responsiveness compared with investor‑owned electric companies. In February 2020, the department experienced a ransomware attack that disrupted its business operations, although the incident did not affect electricity supply or compromise customer financial data. Upon detection, RMLD immediately contained the malware, engaged appropriate response measures, and worked to restore normal systems while customers temporarily relied on phone‑based outage reporting. This event underscored the utility’s cybersecurity readiness and its commitment to maintaining service continuity despite digital threats.