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<section article="gpu" article_name="Public Utilities" number="7-510.1" title_number="7" title_name="Gas, Electric, and Water Companies" subtitle_number="5" subtitle_name="Electric Industry Restructuring">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The Commission shall educate customers about customer choice in accordance with this section.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Commission shall:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>host and regularly update a user–friendly customer choice education section on its website that complies with standards issued under § 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>prominently display a link to that section of the Commission’s website on the home page of the Commission’s website.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The customer choice education section of the Commission’s website shall include:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a clear and simple description of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>customer choice;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>how customers can shop for an electricity supplier;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>what kinds of competitive electricity supply options customers have, including:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>renewable energy supply;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>fixed and variable pricing; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="C">
          <text>other common contract terms;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>the current price of standard offer service in the service territory of each electric company; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>the continuing role of the electric company in delivering electricity to a customer that chooses an electricity supplier;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>fact sheets that:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>answer common questions about customer choice;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>advise customers about the questions customers should ask when choosing an electricity supplier;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>list the kinds of disclosures that electricity suppliers must make to customers;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>describe common issues about contracts for electricity supply and available options; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>describe consumer rights and protections that are available and the means of making use of them;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>a list of all electricity suppliers that have open offers to supply electricity in a customer’s service area, searchable by service territory or jurisdiction;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>a statement indicating that customers who have entered into a contract with a competitive electricity supplier for electricity supply should be aware of the ending date of the contract so that they may determine, before being placed into a renewal contract with the current electricity supplier, whether they would like to:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>shop for an alternative electricity supplier;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>renew with the current electricity supplier; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>return to the standard offer service which may be offered at a price that is less than the renewal price offered by the current electricity supplier; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>a link to the customer choice shopping websites established under § 7–510.2 of this subtitle and § 7–604.1 of this title.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>To the extent practicable, the list of electricity suppliers required under paragraph (2)(iii) of this subsection shall include:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the terms of any open offers to supply electricity, including:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>the duration of the contract;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>the cost of electricity per kilowatt–hour; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>any cancellation fees; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>a link to the website of each electricity supplier with an open offer to supply electricity.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>To ensure the currency and accuracy of information required under subsection (b)(2)(iii) of this section, the Commission shall maintain a secure portal on its website to receive information about offers to supply electricity from electricity suppliers.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Each electricity supplier that is actively seeking residential customers in a service territory in the State shall maintain at least one open offer to supply electricity to residential customers on the Commission’s website at all times.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>At least once each month, each electricity supplier with an open offer to supply electricity shall submit detailed information about the offer to the Commission through a secure portal maintained by the Commission on the Commission’s website for this purpose.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The Commission shall work with media outlets in the State to develop and air public service announcements publicizing customer choice and directing customers to the Commission’s website for additional information.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>The Commission shall recover the cost of complying with this section in accordance with § 2–110 of this article.</text>
  </level>
</section>
