SB 613

            
2020 SESSION

20104749D

SENATE BILL NO. 613


Offered January 8, 2020


Prefiled January 7, 2020

A BILL to amend and reenact � 56-247.1 of the Code of 
 Virginia, relating to public utilities; third-party advertising prohibited.
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Patron-- Suetterlein

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Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
 
 
1. That � 56-247.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and 
 reenacted as follows:
 
 
� 56-247.1. Commission to require public utilities to follow 
 certain procedures.
 
 
A. The Commission shall require that public utilities adhere 
 to the following procedures for services not found to be competitive:
 
 
1. Every public utility shall provide its residential 
 customers one full billing period to pay for one months local or basic 
 services, before initiating any proceeding against a residential customer for 
 nonpayment of local service.
 
 
2. Pay the residential customer a fair rate of interest as 
 determined by the Commission on money deposited and return the deposit with the 
 interest after not more than one year of satisfactory credit has been 
 established.
 
 
3. Every public utility shall establish customer complaint 
 procedures which will insure prompt and effective handling of all customer 
 inquiries, service requests and complaints. Such procedure shall be approved by 
 the Commission before its implementation and it shall be distributed to its 
 residential customers.
 
 
4. No electric or gas utility shall terminate a customers 
 service without 10 days notice by mail to the customer.
 
 
5. No public utility shall terminate the residential service 
 of a customer for such customers nonpayment of basic nonresidential services 
 as defined by its terms and conditions on file with the Virginia State 
 Corporation Commission.
 
 
6. A public utility providing water service shall not 
 terminate service for nonpayment until it first sends the customer written 
 notice by mail 10 days in advance of making the termination but, in no event, 
 shall it terminate the customers service until 20 days after the customers 
 bill has become due. Any such notice shall also include contact information for 
 the customers use in contacting the public utility regarding the notice.
 
 
7. Any electric utility formed under or subject to Chapter 9.1 
 (� 56-231.15 et seq.) may install and operate, upon a customers request and 
 pursuant to an appropriate tariff for any type or classification of service, a 
 prepaid metering equipment and system that is configured to terminate electric 
 service immediately and automatically when the customer has incurred charges 
 for electric service equal to the customers prepayments for such service. Subdivisions 
 1, 2, 4, and 5 shall not apply to services provided pursuant to electric 
 service provided on a prepaid basis by a prepaid metering equipment and system 
 pursuant to this subsection. Such tariffs shall be filed with the Commission 
 for its review and determination that the tariff is not contrary to the public 
 interest.
 
 
8. No public utility 
 shall (i) send 
 by mail or electronically to its 
 customers 
 any third-party advertising or other promotional materials 
 or (ii) authorize a 
 third party to 
 use the public utilitys name, logo, or trademarks 
 in advertising or other promotional materials sent 
 by mail or electronically to the public utilitys customers.
 
 
B. Any and all Commission rules and regulations concerning the 
 denial of telephone service for nonpayment of such service shall not apply to 
 services found to be competitive.