Texas Utilities Code Title 2, Chapter 17 - Customer Protection
SUBCHAPTER A GENERAL PROVISIONS
- Texas Section 17.001 - Customer Protection Policy
(a) The legislature finds that new developments in telecommunications services and the production and delivery of electricity, as well as changes in market structure, marketing...
- Texas Section 17.002 - Definitions
In this chapter: (1) "Billing agent" means any entity that submits charges to the billing utility on behalf of itself or any provider of a...
- Texas Section 17.003 - Customer Awareness
(a) The commission shall promote public awareness of changes in the electric and telecommunications markets, provide customers with information necessary to make informed choices about...
- Texas Section 17.004 - Customer Protection Standards
(a) All buyers of telecommunications and retail electric services are entitled to: (1) protection from fraudulent, unfair, misleading, deceptive, or anticompetitive practices, including protection from...
- Texas Section 17.005 - Protections For Customers Of Municipally Owned Utilities
A municipally owned utility may not be deemed to be a "service provider" or "billing agent" for purposes of Sections 17.156(b) and (e). The governing...
- Texas Section 17.006 - Protections For Customers Of Electric Cooperatives
An electric cooperative shall not be deemed to be a "service provider" or "billing agent" for purposes of Sections 17.156(b) and (e). The electric cooperative...
- Texas Section 17.007 - Eligibility Process For Customer Service Discounts
The commission by rule shall provide for an integrated eligibility process for customer service discounts, including discounts under Sections 39.903 and 55.015. Added by Acts...
- Texas Section 17.008 - Protection Of Residential Electric Service Applicants And Customers
(a) In this section and in Section 17.009: (1) "Credit history": (A) means information regarding an individual's past history of: (i) financial responsibility; (ii) payment...
SUBCHAPTER B CERTIFICATION, REGISTRATION, AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
- Texas Section 17.009 - Protection Of Residential Telephone Service Applicants And Customers
(a) A provider of basic local telecommunications services and nonbasic network services may not deny an applicant's request to become a residential customer on the...
- Texas Section 17.051 - Adoption Of Rules
(a) The commission shall adopt rules relating to certification, registration, and reporting requirements for a certificated telecommunications utility, a retail electric provider, or an electric...
- Texas Section 17.052 - Scope Of Rules
The commission may adopt and enforce rules to: (1) require certification or registration with the commission as a condition of doing business in this state,...
SUBCHAPTER C CUSTOMER'S RIGHT TO CHOICE
- Texas Section 17.053 - Reports
The commission may require a telecommunications service provider, a retail electric provider, or an electric utility to submit reports to the commission concerning any matter...
- Texas Section 17.101 - Policy
It is the policy of this state that all customers be protected from the unauthorized switching of a telecommunications service provider, a retail electric provider,...
SUBCHAPTER D PROTECTION AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED CHARGES
- Texas Section 17.102 - Rules Relating To Choice
The commission shall adopt and enforce rules that: (1) ensure that customers are protected from deceptive practices employed in obtaining authorizations of service and in...
- Texas Section 17.151 - Requirements For Submitting Charges
(a) A service provider, retail electric provider, or billing agent may submit charges for a new product or service to be billed on a customer's...
- Texas Section 17.152 - Responsibilities Of Billing Utility
(a) If a customer's telephone or retail electric bill is charged for any product or service without proper customer consent or verification, the billing utility,...
- Texas Section 17.153 - Records Of Disputed Charges
(a) Every service provider shall maintain a record of every disputed charge for a product or service placed on a customer's bill. (b) The record...
- Texas Section 17.154 - Notice
(a) A billing utility shall provide notice of a customer's rights under this section in the manner prescribed by the commission. (b) Notice of a...
- Texas Section 17.155 - Providing Copy Of Records
A billing utility shall provide a copy of records maintained under Sections 17.151(c), 17.152, and 17.154 to the commission staff on request. A service provider...
- Texas Section 17.156 - Violations
(a) If the commission finds that a billing utility violated this subchapter, the commission may implement penalties and other enforcement actions under Chapter 15. (b)...
- Texas Section 17.157 - Disputes
(a) The commission may resolve disputes between a retail customer and a billing utility, service provider, telecommunications utility, retail electric provider, or electric utility. (b)...
SUBCHAPTER E PROTECTION AGAINST UTILITY SERVICE DISCONNECTION
- Texas Section 17.158 - Consistency With Federal Law
Rules adopted by the commission under this subchapter shall be consistent with and not more burdensome than applicable federal laws and rules. Added by Acts...
- Texas Section 17.201 - Definition
In this subchapter, "nonsubmetered master metered multifamily property" means an apartment, a leased or owner-occupied condominium, or one or more buildings containing at least 10...
- Texas Section 17.202 - Notice Of Disconnection To Municipalities For Nonsubmetered Master Metered Multifamily Properties
(a) A retail electric provider or a vertically integrated electric utility, not including a municipally owned utility or an electric cooperative, in an area where...
- Texas Section 17.203 - Additional Safeguards
(a) The customer safeguards provided by this subchapter are in addition to safeguards provided by other law or agency rules. (b) This subchapter does not...
Last modified: September 28, 2016