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Recovery of stranded costs is perhaps the most contentious issue confronting regulators in promoting competition.  Stranded costs (or assets) are costs that have been prudently incurred by utilities to serve their customers but cannot be recovered if the consumers choose other electricity suppliers. One study has estimated current stranded assets at $88 billion, and estimates of projected stranded costs range from $10 billion to $500 billion. In its Order 888, FERC reaffirmed "that the recovery of legitimate, prudent and verifiable stranded costs should be allowed." FERC's directive is grounded in the belief that the recovery of stranded costs "is critical to the successful transition of the electricity industry to a competitive, open-access environment." For this purpose, direct assignment of costs to departing customers was selected as the appropriate method for recovery of stranded costs.