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Ohio Administrative Code (Last Updated: January 12, 2021) |
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4901:1 Utilities |
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Chapter4901:1-6. Retail Telecommunication Services |
4901:1-6-07. Customer notice requirements
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(A) Except for notices for abandonment or withdrawal of telecommunications service pursuant to rules 4901:1-6-26 and 4901:1-6-25 of the Administrative Code, respectively, and upward alterations of basic local exchange service (BLES) rates pursuant to rule 4901:1-6-14 of the Administrative Code, a telephone company shall provide at least fifteen days advance notice to its affected customers, of any material change in the rates, terms, and conditions of any retail service required to be tariffed, as set forth in rule 4901:1-6-11 of the Administrative Code, and any change in the company's operations that are not transparent to customers and may impact service. Customer notice is not required for a decrease in rates.
(B) For abandonment or withdrawal of telecommunications service and upward alterations of BLES rates, a telephone company shall provide at least thirty days advance notice to its affected customers in accordance with rules 4901:1-6-26, 4901:1-6-25, and 4901:1-6-14 of the Administrative Code, respectively.
(C) For every customer notice, a telephone company shall provide to the commission a copy of the actual customer notice and an affidavit verifying that the customer notice was provided to affected customers. A copy of the applicable customer notice must be provided to commission staff no later than the date it is provided to customers by emailing the text of the customer notice to a commission-provided electronic mailbox at: Telecomm-Rule07@puc.state.oh.us.
(D) Every customer notice shall identify the name of the company or brand name familiar to the customer (i.e. the company's "doing business as" name) and the company's customer service toll-free telephone number and web site (if one exists), along with a clear description of the impact on the customer. If the notice is informing a customer of a material change in the rates, terms, or conditions of service, the notice shall also name the service offering being changed, a description of the change including any increase in rate(s), the effective date of the change, and the company's contact information.
(E) Notice shall be provided to affected customers in any reasonable manner, including bill insert, bill message, direct mail, or, if the customer consents, electronic means.
(F) For change in operation applications filed pursuant to rule 4901:1-6-29 of the Administrative Code, the customer notice must explain how the customer will be directly impacted by the application and what customer action, if any, is necessary as a result of such application.
(G) At a minimum, the notice for a withdrawal or abandonment of service should provide the proposed effective date of the service withdrawal, instructions to the customers on how they may obtain replacement service(s), and the commission's toll-free and TTY-TDD telephone numbers.
(H) In the event that the commission staff determines that a notice provided to customers is not consistent with the law or commission rules, the commission staff may require the company to re-notice customers.