Notice of Discontinuance

(a)Except as provided in paragraphs (g) and (h) of this rule, prior to discontinuing service, a utility shall provide a customer, and any third party the customer has designated in writing or electronically, with the following forms of notice:#

(I)upon a bill becoming past due, and at least five business days before issuing a notice of discontinuance, a utility must provide notice of late payment;#

(II)at least 12 business days before any proposed service discontinuance, written notice of discontinuance as further described in paragraphs (b) and#

(c), by first class mail or hand delivery;#

(III)at least 24 hours in advance of any proposed service discontinuance, the utility must make a reasonable attempt to provide notice in person or by telephone; and#

(IV)if the utility will implement service discontinuance remotely, in addition to subparagraphs (I) through (III), the utility must undertake at least one additional attempt to notify the customer of record at their provided telephone number or in person at least 72 hours before discontinuing service.#

(b)The written notice of discontinuance under subparagraph (a)(II) shall be conspicuous and in easily understood language, and the heading shall contain, in bold font and capital letters, the following warning: THIS IS A FINAL NOTICE OF DISCONTINUANCE OF UTILITY SERVICE AND CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND REMEDIES. YOU MUST ACT PROMPTLY TO AVOID UTILITY SHUT OFF.#

(c)The body of the notice of discontinuance under subparagraph (a)(II) of this rule shall at a minimum advise the customer of the following:#

(I)the reason for the discontinuance of service;#

(II)the amount past due for utility service, deposits, or other regulated charges, if any;#

(III)the date by which an installment payment plan must be entered into or full payment must be received in order to avoid discontinuance of service;#

(IV)how and where the customer can pay or enter into an installment payment plan prior to the discontinuance of service;#

(V)that the customer may avoid discontinuance of service by entering into an installment payment plan with the utility pursuant to rule 4404 as described in the utility's applicable tariff;#

(VI)that the customer has certain rights if the customer or a member of the customer's household is seriously ill or has a medical emergency;#

(VII)that the customer has the right to dispute the discontinuance directly with the utility by contacting the utility, and how to contact the utility toll-free from within the utility's service area;#

(VIII)that the customer has the right to make an informal complaint to the Commission in writing, by telephone, or in person, along with the Commission's address and local and toll-free telephone number;#

(IX)that the customer has the right to file a formal complaint, in writing, with the Commission pursuant to rule 1302 and that this formal complaint process may involve a formal hearing;#

(X)that in conjunction with the filing of a formal complaint, the customer has a right to file a motion for a Commission order ordering the utility not to disconnect service pending the outcome of the formal complaint process and that the Commission may grant the motion upon such terms as it deems reasonable, including but not limited to the posting of a deposit or bond with the utility or timely payment of all undisputed regulated charges;#

(XI)that if service is discontinued for non-payment, the customer may be required, as a condition of restoring service, to pay reconnection and collection charges in accordance with the utility's tariff; and#

(XII)that customers may be able to obtain financial assistance to assist with the payment of the utility bill and that more detailed information on that assistance may be obtained by calling the utility toll-free. The utility shall state its toll-free telephone number.#

(d)A notice of discontinuance shall be printed in English and a specific language or languages other than English where the utility's entire service territory contains a population of at least ten percent who speak a specific language other than English as their primary language as determined by the latest U.S. Census information.#

(e)A utility shall explain and shall offer the terms of an installment payment plan to each customer who contacts the utility in response to a notice of discontinuance of service.#

(f)If the utility attempts to notify the customer in person or by telephone but fails to do so, it shall leave written or recorded notice of the attempted contact and its purpose.#

(g)If a customer has entered into an installment payment plan and has defaulted or allowed a new bill to remain unpaid past its due date, a utility shall provide, by first class mail or by hand-delivery, a written notice to the customer. The notice shall contain:#

(I)a heading as follows: NOTICE OF BROKEN ARRANGEMENT#

(II)statements that advise the customer:#

(A)that the utility may discontinue service if it does not receive the monthly installment payment within ten days after the notice is mailed or hand-delivered;#

(B)that the utility may discontinue service if it does not receive payment for the current bill within 30 days after its due date;#

(C)that, if service is discontinued, the utility may refuse to restore service until the customer pays all amounts for regulated service more than 30 days past due and any collection or reconnection charges; and#

(D)that the customer has certain rights if the customer or a member of the customer's household is seriously ill or has a medical emergency.#

(h)A utility is not required to provide notice under this rule if one of the following applies:#

(I)the situation involves safety concerns;#

(II)discontinuance is ordered by any appropriate governmental authority;#

(III)either paragraph 4407(c) or 4407(d) applies; or#

(IV)service, having been already properly discontinued, has been restored by someone other than the utility and the original cause for discontinuance has not been cured.#

(i)Where a utility knows that the service to be discontinued is used by customers in multi-unit dwellings, in places of business, or in a cluster of dwellings or places of business and the utility service is recorded on a single meter used either directly or indirectly by more than one unit, the utility shall issue notice as required in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this rule, except that:#

(I)the notice period shall be 30 days;#

(II)such notice may include the current bill;#

(III)the utility shall provide written notice to each individual unit, stating that a notice of discontinuance has been sent to the party responsible for the payment of utility bills for the unit and that the occupants of the units may avoid discontinuance by paying the next new bill in full within 30 days of its issuance and successive new bills within 30 days of issuance; and#

(IV)the utility shall post the notice in at least one of the common areas of the affected location.#