CSHB 81(URS): "An Act requiring the Alaska Public Utilities Commission to adopt regulations to provide standards of operation and consumer protection in a competitive electric service market; and providing for an effective date."
00CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 81(URS) 01 "An Act requiring the Alaska Public Utilities Commission to adopt regulations to 02 provide standards of operation and consumer protection in a competitive electric 03 service market; and providing for an effective date." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 42.05 is amended by adding a new section to read: 06 Sec. 42.05.226. Electric consumer protections. (a) As part of any general 07 proceeding to investigate electric industry restructuring, the commission shall establish 08 by regulation 09 (1) consumer protection standards to protect consumers in a competitive 10 electric service market; 11 (2) licensing requirements for electric service providers operating in a 12 competitive electric service market; 13 (3) procedures for the prompt, effective, and low-cost resolution of 14 consumer complaints against electric service providers operating in a competitive
01 electric service market; 02 (4) minimum safety standards and service criteria for electric service 03 providers operating in a competitive electric service market; and 04 (5) penalties for electric service providers operating in a competitive 05 electric service market who fail to comply with the requirements of this chapter. 06 (b) The consumer protection standards adopted under (a) of this section must 07 require electric service providers operating in a competitive electric service market to 08 (1) provide consumers with free basic information and free or 09 reasonably priced educational materials to enable consumers to compare the price, 10 quality, supplier service record, and terms of service offered by the electric service 11 provider with the offerings of other providers in the market; the commission shall 12 establish by regulation the information that must be provided without charge; that 13 information must include 14 (A) the name of the provider and information about how to 15 communicate with the provider, including emergency contact numbers; 16 (B) the type of service plans available and the cost of each type 17 of service plan; 18 (C) the procedure to change electric service providers; 19 (D) the area in which a provider sells its product; 20 (E) basic information on the provider itself, including the 21 number of years it has been in business and the number of customers it serves; 22 (2) offer electric service to any consumer in the area served by the 23 electric service provider so long as providing the service is technically feasible at a 24 reasonable cost to the provider; 25 (3) provide the same electric service choices and pricing options to all 26 consumers; 27 (4) maintain information and records, including records concerning 28 individual electric use patterns, about the electric service provider's consumers as 29 confidential records; if the electric service provider has both a regulated component 30 and an unregulated component, the provider shall keep the records of customers of one 31 component confidential from the provider's other component; however,
01 (A) an electric service provider may report information to the 02 commission so long as the information does not identify directly or indirectly 03 an individual consumer; 04 (B) information may be released to an alternate electric service 05 provider at the written request of the customer; for purposes of this 06 subparagraph, an alternate electric service provider includes a regulated or 07 unregulated component of an electric service provider that is otherwise not 08 entitled to have access to the information; 09 (5) meet the minimum safety standards and service criteria established 10 by the commission; 11 (6) meet its advertised terms and conditions; 12 (7) refrain from imposing unreasonable terms and conditions, including 13 service connect or disconnect fees, as a precondition to providing service that meets 14 generally accepted industry standards to a consumer in a competitive electric service 15 market. 16 (c) The commission shall adopt regulations to require electric service providers 17 operating in a competitive electric service market to continue to provide electric 18 service to residential consumers who demonstrate that economic hardship has 19 prevented payment in full of a delinquent bill. The regulations may require the 20 consumer to agree to a reasonable deferred payment plan and to comply with the plan. 21 (d) The commission shall adopt regulations to require a supplier or an 22 aggregator operating in a competitive electric service market to meet minimum 23 standards for certification as a condition of market entry. The commission shall, by 24 regulation, adopt the standards for certification; these standards must explicitly provide 25 for reliable and safe electrical power. 26 (e) The commission shall, by regulation, provide that an electric service 27 consumer in a competitive electric service market may receive only one periodic 28 billing for the provision of electric service to a location. The bill must set out 29 information in a clear and concise manner so that the consumer is informed about the 30 components of the bill, including charges associated with generation, transmission, 31 distribution, stranded cost allocation, universal service, and customer service. An
01 electric service provider that handles the billing for a customer shall permit other 02 electric service providers that supply, aggregate, or distribute electric power to the 03 customer to include information in the bill at nondiscriminatory rates. 04 (f) The commission shall, by regulation, require that, in a competitive electric 05 service market, a customer's electric service provider may only be changed with the 06 written authorization of the customer. 07 (g) The commission shall, by regulation, require reports from electric service 08 providers who are participating in a competitive electric service market and establish 09 the contents of the reports. 10 (h) This section may not be applied to result in a utility that is not otherwise 11 subject to economic regulation by the commission becoming subject to economic 12 regulation by the commission. 13 (i) In this section, 14 (1) "competitive electric service market" means a market or program 15 in which retail electricity customers are offered a choice of electric service provider, 16 whether on a permanent or limited basis or under a pilot program; 17 (2) "electric service provider" means a person or entity, including a 18 utility, a broker, a marketer, a wholesaler, or an aggregator, seeking to provide or 19 providing electric service to the public, or a portion of the public, whether or not for 20 compensation. 21 * Sec. 2. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).