SB 656, as introduced, Wright. Electrical restructuring: information practices.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to compile and regularly update specific consumer information regarding electrical service.
This bill would, instead, specifically require the commission to compile and update that information every 6 months.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 392.1 of the Public Utilities Code is
2amended to read:
(a) The commission shall compile andbegin delete regularlyend delete update
4begin insert every six months all ofend insert the following information: names and
5contact numbers of registered providers, information to assist
6consumers in making service choices, and the number of customer
7complaints against specific providers in relation to the number of
8customers served by those providers and the disposition of those
9complaints. To facilitate this function, registered entities shall file
10with the commission information describing the terms and
11conditions of any standard service plan made available to
P2 1residential and small commercial customers. The commission shall
2adopt a standard format for this filing. The commission shall
3maintain and make generally available a list of entities offering
4electrical services operating in California. This list shall include
5all registered providers and those providers not required to be
6registeredbegin delete whoend deletebegin insert thatend insert request the commission to be included in the
7list. Thebegin delete commission shall,end deletebegin insert commission,end insert upon request,begin insert shallend insert make
8this information available at no charge. Notwithstanding any other
9provision of law, public agenciesbegin delete whichend deletebegin insert thatend insert are registered entities
10shall be required to disclose their terms and conditions of service
11contracts only to the same extent that other registered entities
12would be required to disclose the same or similar service contracts.
13(b) The commission shall issue public alerts about companies
14attempting to provide electric service in the state in an unauthorized
15or fraudulent manner as defined in subdivision (b) of Section
16394.25.
17(c) The commission shall direct the Office of Ratepayer
18Advocates to collect and analyze information provided pursuant
19to subdivision (a) for purposes of preparing easily understandable
20informational guides or other tools to help residential and small
21commercial customers understand how to
evaluate competing
22electric service options. In implementing these provisions, the
23commission shall direct the Office of Ratepayer Advocates to pay
24special attention to ensuring that customers, especially those with
25limited-English-speaking ability or other disadvantages when
26dealing with marketers, receive correct, reliable, and easily
27understood information to help them make informed choices. The
28Office of Ratepayer Advocates shall not make specific
29recommendations or rank the relative attractiveness of specific
30service offerings of registered providers of electric services.
O
99