Section 46-4-158.2. Rules governing marketer's terms of service

   The commission shall by September 1, 2002, adopt rules governing a marketer's terms of service for natural gas consumers. Such rules shall provide, without limitation, that:

   (1) Each retail natural gas marketer shall establish policies and procedures for handling billing disputes and requests for payment arrangements, which must be approved by the commission;

   (2) A marketer's advertised prices shall reflect the prices or the pricing methodology in disclosure statements and billed prices and shall be presented in the standard pricing unit of the electing distribution company;

   (3) The consumer shall have a right to contact the commission and the consumers' utility counsel division of the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs if he or she is not satisfied with the response of the marketer;

   (4) Marketers shall provide all consumers with a three-day right of rescission following the receipt of the disclosure statement, which shall be provided to consumers at times specified in rules and regulations of the commission. Consumers may cancel an agreement in writing or electronically by contacting the marketer;

   (5) Whenever a marketer offers a fixed term agreement and the expiration date of such agreement is approaching, or whenever a marketer proposes to change its terms of service under any type of agreement, the marketer shall provide written notification to the natural gas consumer, clearly explaining the consumer's options at that point, including, but not limited to, the option to seek another marketer;

   (6) A marketer shall not charge cancellation fees to a low-income residential consumer seeking service for the first time from the regulated provider;

   (7) Gas service to a consumer shall be disconnected only for failure to pay for service from the consumer's current marketer. A marketer may not request disconnection of service for nonpayment of a bill which was not sent to the consumer in a timely manner. Every marketer shall be required to offer at least one reasonable payment arrangement in writing to a consumer prior to requesting that such consumer be disconnected for failure to pay. Disconnection of service to a consumer is authorized no earlier than 15 days after a notice that service will be disconnected;

   (8) Marketers shall be prohibited from sending estimated bills to natural gas consumers; provided, however, that when information from actual meter readings is not made available by the electing distribution company or any other party authorized to perform meter reading, marketers may send an estimated bill for not more than two consecutive months; and

   (9) No marketer shall be authorized to prevent a consumer from obtaining distribution and commodity sales service from another marketer or provider.

Code 1981, § 46-4-158.2, enacted by Ga. L. 2002, p. 475, § 15.