That costs a lot of money, and the utilities are, first and foremost, profit-centered corporations selling a product for which they must first consider the payout to shareholders. They already have the blessing to pass along generation costs directly to the consumers by way of surcharges, but the costs of upgrading a grid that is decades -- many decades -- old would cut too deeply into dividends. Most investors would balk. More and more is being buried, but that which is underground is supplied by above-ground substations and transmission lines, which remain vulnerable.
The only way to pressure utilities is to pressure the PSCs who regulate them "in the public interest." I think you already see the chance of success by going that route. Unless the howl is deafening and nearly continuous, your dudgeon will go unrewarded.
My utilities here are underground, but they are fed by above-ground lines about a half-mile from the house. I fought for almost twenty years -- power failures at my location were at least monthly (and sometimes more) during the summer T-storm season. The power would be out for hours at a time. The cause was outdated equipment in the above-ground link -- circuit-breakers that tripped at the least surge and pole pigs that often exploded. Over the course of two decades, BGE gradually replaced the faulty gear in an extended attrition campaign before we finally can go months without failures. No amount of complaining, letter writing, or calls to the Company -- now you cannot find a human in the telephone system to talk to unless you report a gas leak or sparking lines (and the PSC has warned that false reporting will be prosecuted by the state).
Can you spell fuc... well, just leave that you will receive neither a whispered "i luv u" nor a touch of KY jelly in the deal.
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