2019 -- H 5313

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LC001067

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - DUTIES OF UTILITIES AND

CARRIERS

     Introduced By: Representatives Casimiro, Noret, Carson, Solomon, and Shanley

     Date Introduced: February 06, 2019

     Referred To: House Corporations

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 39-2 of the General Laws entitled "Duties of Utilities and Carriers"

is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     39-2-26. Utility bill credit for multiple outages.

     (a) Any electric or gas distribution company regulated pursuant to this title shall provide

a customer credit on the customer's next bill following any eligible outage as reimbursement for

the loss or interruption of service when the loss of service occurs for a consecutive twenty-four

(24) hour period and amounts to an aggregate period of one hundred sixty-eight (168) hours or

more during any thirty (30) day period without the utility service. The amount of the credit

provided to a residential customer shall be the amount of a customer's minimum bill prorated

daily on a twenty-four (24) hour basis and which twenty-four (24) hour prorated amount shall

determine the credit provided for each twenty-four (24) hour period without utility service.

     (b) Electric and gas distribution companies shall be prohibited from recovering the cost

of issuing credits pursuant to this section by way of any surcharge including, but not limited to,

any rider, adjustment clause and/or recovery mechanism, added to any customer's bill in an effort

to recover funds expended on utility bill credits.

     (c) The provisions of this section shall not apply if the loss of electrical power or gas

distribution was caused by the action or inaction of the residential customer, or if the electrical

power or gas distribution to the residence was terminated by the customer or the electric or gas

distribution company.

     SECTION 2. Chapter 39-19 of the General Laws entitled "Community Antenna

Television Systems" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     39-19-15. Utility bill credit for multiple outages.

     (a) Any community antenna television system (CATV) regulated pursuant this title shall

provide a customer credit on the customer's next bill following any eligible outage as

reimbursement for the loss or interruption of service when the loss of service occurs for a

consecutive twenty-four (24) hour period and amounts to an aggregate period of one hundred

sixty-eight (168) hours or more during any thirty (30) day period within the utility service. The

amount of the credit provided to a residential customer shall be the amount of a customer's

minimum bill prorated daily on a twenty-four (24) hour basis and which twenty-four (24) hour

prorated amount shall determine the credit provided for each twenty-four (24) hour period

without utility service.

     (b) Community antenna television system (CATV) companies shall be prohibited from

recovering the cost of issuing credits pursuant to this section by way of any surcharge including,

but not limited to, any rider, adjustment clause and/or recovery mechanism, added to any

customer's bill in an effort to recover funds expended on utility bill credits issued pursuant to this

section.

     (c) The provisions of this section shall not apply if the loss of cable television service was

caused by the action or inaction of the residential customer, or if the cable television service to

the residence was terminated by the customer or the cable television transmission company.

     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - DUTIES OF UTILITIES AND

CARRIERS

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     This act would require the issuance of utility bill credits to customers of electrical, gas, or

cable television providers when the customer's service is interrupted for a period of one hundred

sixty-eight (168) hours within a thirty (30) day period.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC001067

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