Rules that implement the following minimum standards shall be adopted by the commission for core transport agents offering gas services to core gas customers and the governing body of a public agency offering gas services to core gas customers within its jurisdiction:
(a)
Confidentiality. Customer information shall be confidential unless the customer consents in writing. This shall encompass confidentiality of customer-specific billing, credit, or usage information. This requirement shall not extend to disclosure of generic information regarding the usage, load shape, or other general characteristics of a group or rate classification, unless the release of
that information would reveal customer-specific information because of the size of the group, rate classification, or nature of the information.
(b)
Physical disconnects and reconnects. Only a gas corporation, or a publicly owned gas utility, that provides physical delivery service to the affected customer shall have the authority to physically disconnect or reconnect a customer from the transmission or distribution grid. Physical disconnection by gas corporations subject to the commission’s jurisdiction shall occur only in accordance with protocols established by the commission. Physical disconnection by publicly owned gas utilities shall occur only in accordance with protocols established by the governing board of the local publicly owned gas utility.
(c)
Change in providers. Upon adequate notice supplied by a core transport agent to the gas corporation or local publicly owned gas utility providing physical delivery service, customers who are eligible for core transport service may change their energy supplier. Energy suppliers may charge for this change, provided that any fee or penalty charged by the supplier associated with early termination of service, shall be disclosed in that contract or applicable tariff.
(d)
Written notices. Notices describing the terms and conditions of service as described in Section 986, service agreements, notices of late payment, notices of discontinuance of service, and disconnection notices addressed to core gas customers shall be easily understandable and shall be provided in the language in which the core transport agent offered the services.
(e)
Billing. All bills shall have a standard bill format, as determined by the commission or the governing body, and shall contain sufficient detail for the customer to recalculate the bill for accuracy. Any late fees shall be separately stated. A core transport agent shall provide on all customer bills a telephone number by which customers may contact the core transport agent to report and resolve billing inquiries and complaints. A core transport agent contacted by a customer regarding a billing dispute shall advise the customer at the time of the initial contact that the customer may file a complaint with the commission if the customer’s dispute is not satisfactorily resolved by the core transport agent.
(f)
Meter integrity. A gas customer shall have a reasonable opportunity to have his or her meter tested to
ensure the reasonable accuracy of the meter. The commission or governing body shall determine who is responsible for the cost of that testing.
(g)
Customer deposits. Core transport agents may require customer deposits before commencing service, but in no event shall the deposit be more than the estimated bill for the customer for a three-month period.
(h)
Additional protections. The commission or the governing body may adopt additional core gas consumer protection standards that are in the public interest.