; or (ii) repeal or modification of existing Federal, State, or local regulations, legislation, or ordinances; (B) any expense for the purpose of directly or indirectly influencing elections or appointments of public officials or referenda; (C) any expense for the purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the approval, modification, or revocation of utility franchises; (D) any expense for the purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the public opinion with respect to Federal, State, or local— (i) regulations, legislation, or ordinances; (ii) elections; (iii) referenda; or (iv) utility rate setting; (E) any expense for the purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the decisions of Federal, State, or local government officials; (F) any expense relating to attendance or participation in, preparation for, or appeal of any formal proceeding before a regulatory commission; (G) dues or fees paid to trade associations or industry associations; (H) any contributions or other payments to an organization described in paragraph (3) or (4) of section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and (I) advertising, marketing, or public relations expenses designed for the purpose of— (i) influencing public opinion; (ii) increasing goodwill toward a covered utility from the public or from public officials; (iii) improving the reputation of a covered utility; or (iv) promoting or retaining the service provided by a covered utility. 3. Prohibition against recovering political activity expenses from ratepayers (a) Regulations Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall promulgate regulations— (1) to prohibit covered utilities from recovering covered expenses from ratepayers in proceedings before the Commission, in accordance with this section