Utility cutoff ban extended through August

The State Corporation Commission has extended the moratorium on service disconnections for utility customers due to unpaid bills caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The SCC order extends the ban through Aug. 31 and gives the General Assembly time to address the economic impact of the crisis on utility customers, according to a press release.

During the crisis period, electricity, natural gas, water and sewer utilities regulated by the SCC must offer extended payment plans with no late fees or reconnection charges to residential and small business customers whose unpaid bill amounts are the result of COVID-19 issues.

In mid-March, the SCC ordered a 60-day ban on service cut-offs. In a mid-May order, the ban was extended an additional 30 days through June 15.

“While we have acted promptly throughout this crisis to protect customers unable to pay utility bills due to the COVID-19 crisis, the only truly sustainable solution is government action beyond utility regulation in the immediate short term and a restoration of economic health as soon as possible,” the commission stated. “The reality is that a moratorium on all service disconnections due to unpaid bills is not sustainable on an unlimited basis in the absence of programs to ensure that the growing costs of unpaid bills are not unfairly shifted to other customers.”