Sec. 16-245s. Switching electric suppliers; procedures; penalties; regulations. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 16-245s. Switching electric suppliers; procedures; penalties; regulations. (a) No electric distribution company shall submit or execute a change in a customer's selection of an electric supplier unless the change has been confirmed by one of the following: (1) An independent third-party telephone verification; (2) receipt of a written confirmation received in the mail from the customer after the customer has received an information package confirming any telephone agreement; (3) the customer signs a document fully explaining the nature and effect of the change in service; or (4) the customer's consent is obtained through electronic means, including, but not limited to, a computer transaction.

      (b) Third-party telephone verification shall be in accordance with the following procedures: (1) The electric supplier seeking to verify the change shall do so by connecting the customer by telephone to the third-party verification company or by arranging for the third-party verification company to call the resident to confirm the sale; and (2) the third-party verification company shall obtain the customer's oral confirmation regarding the change, and shall record that confirmation by obtaining appropriate verification data. The record shall be available to the customer upon request. Information obtained from the customer through confirmation shall not be used for marketing purposes. The verification procedure in this subsection shall not apply when a residential customer directly calls an electric distribution company to make changes in electric supplier service, provided an electric supplier shall not avoid the verification procedure by asking a residential customer to contact an electric distribution company directly to make changes in electric supplier service. For purposes of this section, "third-party verification company" means a company that: (A) Is independent from the electric supplier that seeks to provide the new service; (B) is not directly or indirectly managed, controlled or directed or owned wholly or in part by (i) an electric supplier that seeks to provide the new service, or (ii) any corporation, firm or person who directly or indirectly manages, controls or directs or owns more than five per cent of such supplier; (C) operates from facilities physically separate from those of the electric supplier that seeks to provide the new service; and (D) does not derive commissions or compensation based upon the number of sales confirmed.

      (c) Any violation of this section shall be deemed an unfair or deceptive trade practice under subsection (a) of section 42-110b.

      (d) The Department of Public Utility Control shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to address abusive switching practices by suppliers.

      (P.A. 98-28, S. 30, 117; P.A. 03-135, S. 15.)

      History: P.A. 98-28 effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 03-135 added new Subsec. (d) re adoption of regulations to address abusive switching practices, effective July 1, 2003.