Section 44. Utility bills; informational notices

1.  Every  utility
  corporation or municipality shall  assure  that  bills  for  service  to
  residential  customers  adequately  explain  the  charges for service in
  clear and understandable form and language.  The  commission  may,  from
  time  to time, specify the form and content of such bills to further the
  objectives of this subdivision.
    2. The public service commission and  the  state  board  of  elections
  shall  coordinate  a  voluntary program with public utilities whereby at
  the time service is initiated  to  a  residential  customer,  a  utility
  corporation  or municipality may provide each such customer with a voter
  registration and a change-of-residence registration form.
    3. At the time that service is initiated to  a  residential  customer,
  and  at  least  once  every  year  thereafter,  a utility corporation or
  municipality shall provide each such customer with an additional  notice
  which  summarizes  the  rights  and obligations of residential customers
  relating to the rendition of service. At the time  any  such  notice  is
  provided a customer, a utility corporation or municipality shall inquire
  as  to  the  customer's  eligibility  for  the  protection  afforded the
  elderly, blind, disabled and other customers  under  this  article.  The
  commission  shall, by regulation, establish procedures to assure, to the
  extent practicable, that residential customers served by more  than  one
  utility  corporation  or  municipality  for  gas service or for electric
  service shall not receive duplicative annual notices in connection  with
  such gas service or in connection with such electric service.
    4.   The   commission  shall  require  every  utility  corporation  or
  municipality providing service to  a  county  wherein  at  least  twenty
  percent  of the population regularly speak a language other than English
  according to the most recent federal census to offer, at the request  of
  a residential customer residing in such a county, to prepare and send to
  such  customer its messages on bills and notices in both English and the
  other language.
    * 5. At least once a year, every utility corporation, energy  services
  company  or  municipality shall provide its customers with a notice that
  billing statements are available in large  print  format.  Upon  written
  request by a customer, a utility corporation, energy services company or
  municipality  shall  provide  the  customer's  billing statements in the
  large print format commencing no later than sixty days  after  the  date
  upon  which  the  request is received by the utility corporation, energy
  services company or municipality. The  provisions  of  this  subdivision
  shall  apply  only  to  printed  statements.  For  the  purposes of this
  section, "large print" shall mean a printed  font  size  of  sixteen  or
  greater  to  illuminate  billing  information.  For the purposes of this
  section, "energy services  company"  or  "ESCO"  shall  mean  an  entity
  eligible  to  sell  energy  services  to  end-use  customers  using  the
  transmission or distribution system of a utility corporation.
    * NB Effective April 1, 2010