20040817Press Release.pdf

IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
August 16, 2004
Contact: Gene Fadness [phone]
Website: www.puc.state.id.
Commission will consider proposed customer relations rule changes
Boise - The Idaho Public Utilities Commission today agreed to accept a petition from the Idaho
Community Action Network to re-examine some utility customer relations rules.
The commission agreed, by a 2-1 vote, to enter into a negotiated rulemaking process, which
allows all interested parties, including utilities, to participate. The commission emphasized that
agreeing to enter into negotiated rulemaking does not mean that all or any of ICAN' s proposed
changes will be adopted. Rules imp?sed on utilities by the commission must ultimately be
adopted by the Legislature.
ICAN proposes that the three-month winter moratorium - the December through February period
that utility customers with children, elderly, disabled or ill residents, can defer payment of utility
bills - be expanded to also include November and March. During the moratorium, utilities are
forbidden to disconnect customers who qualify for the moratorium. However, when the
moratorium ends, the past due utility bills must be paid.
ICAN also seeks:
to extend the period during which customers are protected from disconnection due to
serious illness or medical emergency from the current 30 days to 60 days and allow the
medical exemption to remain in place to up to one year;
to increase the minimum number of days required to provide advance notice of the intent
to disconnect service from the current 7 to 14 days;
and require disconnect notices to include information on the winter moratorium and
provide translation of those and other notices in a number of languages.
Commissioner Dennis Hansen dissented from the majority, saying he was comfortable with the
rules in place and noted that some or all of the changes could result in increased costs to all
customers. Commissioner Marsha Smith agreed with Hansen that the current rules may be
adequate but said the commission should be open to considering possible improvements.
The commission will issue a notice in a few days that will specify the workshops and comment
period that will be part of the negotiated rulemaking process. The commission can adopt rules as
pending rules " but they are not accepted as permanent rule changes until adopted by the
Legislature.
END