Bill Text: VA SB849 | 2023 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Public utilities; customer consent to install smart meter.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-01-30 - Passed by indefinitely in Commerce and Labor (14-Y 1-N) [SB849 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-SB849-Prefiled.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §56-245.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§56-245.1. Meters to be kept in good working condition; defective meters; smart meters.
(1) A. Any
person, firm, corporation, county, city, town or association, hereinafter referred
to as person, who or which furnishes water, gas or electricity to the premises
of another and employs a meter to determine the quantity of water, gas or
electricity furnished to such premises and bases its charges thereon shall keep
meter in good working condition.
(2) B. When
any such person is notified in writing that any such meter is broken or not
functioning properly he shall promptly investigate the matter and, if the meter
is found to be defective, repair or replace the meter within thirty days of
such notice. If the meter is found to be in good working condition, a written
report of such determination shall be mailed or delivered to the affected
customer within thirty days of such notice. If any defective meter is not
repaired or replaced as provided herein, or if the required report is not made,
the affected customer shall not be required to pay for the service furnished
through the meter, after the expiration of the thirty-day period until the
repair or replacement is made, or until the required report is made, and his
service shall not be terminated for failure to pay under such circumstances.
C. No public utility shall install a smart meter on the premises of a customer without first obtaining such customer's consent to such installation. For any smart meter installed by a public utility prior to July 1, 2023, the public utility shall provide the customer an opportunity to consent to the previous installation. Each public utility shall offer to remove a smart meter without cost to the customer that was installed without obtaining the customer's consent. No public utility shall (i) discontinue service to a customer who does not consent to the installation of a smart meter; (ii) charge a fee, assessment, or higher rate to a customer who does not consent to the installation of a smart meter; or (iii) provide or offer to provide discounted rates to a customer in exchange for obtaining the customer's consent to install a smart meter. For the purposes of this subsection, "smart meter" means a public utility meter that is interconnected through a secured Internet network connection, telephone connection, or radio frequency connection between a customer's premises and the public utility, facilitating more accurate and accessible information regarding water, gas, or electricity usage; peak event notifications; and reports and savings summaries.
