Bill Text: NJ A3524 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides electric public utility customers' right to decline installation of smart meter under certain circumstances.
Spectrum: Unknown
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-05 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [A3524 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3524-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN V. AZZARITI JR., M.D.
District 39 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Provides electric public utility customers' right to decline installation of smart meter under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain electric public utility equipment and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"Board" means the Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency.
"Electric public utility" or "utility" means a public utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that provides electric distribution service.
"Electric-related service" means a service that is directly related to the consumption of electricity by a customer, and the provision of energy consumption measurement and billing services.
"Customer" means the person identified in the account records of an electric public utility as the person responsible for payment of a bill for electric-related service.
"Smart meter" means an electric meter that identifies a customer's electricity consumption in greater detail than a conventional meter in order to provide a customer with real-time usage information and pricing data on at least an hourly basis, record and store hourly usage data, report on the status of the electric supply for the customer's premises, and turn electric-related service to the customer's premises on or off through remote disconnection or connection of service.
2. a. An electric public utility shall not install a smart meter at the customer's premises prior to the utility providing written notice to the customer, in a manner determined by the board, no less than 90 days prior to the scheduled installation of a smart meter. A customer of an electric public utility may decline the utility's request to install a smart meter at the customer's premises for the duration of the customer's account with the utility.
b. (1) If a customer of an electric public utility elects to decline having a smart meter installed at the customer's premises within 30 days of receiving written notice from the utility, the utility shall not assess to that customer a fee, penalty, or service charge for that decision for the duration of the customer's account.
(2) If a customer of an
electric public utility elects to decline having a smart meter installed at the
customer's premises after 30 days but within 90 days of receiving written
notice from the utility, the utility shall not assess to that customer a fee,
penalty, or service charge of more than $100 for that decision for the duration
of the customer's account.
3. This act shall take effect immediately, but shall remain inoperative for 60 days following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits an electric public utility (utility) from installing a "smart meter," as that term is defined in the bill, at a customer's premises prior to the utility providing written notice to the customer, in a manner determined by the Board of Public Utilities, no less than 90 days prior to the scheduled installation of a smart meter. The bill allows a utility customer to decline the utility's request to install a smart meter at the customer's premises for the duration of the customer's account with the utility.
If a utility customer elects to decline having a smart meter installed at the customer's premises within 30 days of receiving written notice from the utility, the utility is not to assess the customer a fee, penalty, or service charge for that decision for the duration of the customer's account. If a utility customer elects to decline having a smart meter installed at the customer's premises after 30 days but within 90 days of receiving written notice from the utility, the utility is not to assess the customer a fee, penalty, or service charge of more than $100 for that decision for the duration of the customer's account.
