Rule 38.5.6006 - BILLS TO SMALL CUSTOMERS(1) If charges for unregulated supply and energy services are combined with regulated charges on a single bill, the unregulated charges must be identified as unregulated and presented as separate line items.(2) Bills must prominently identify the name of each company for which charges are billed in close proximity to each company's charges. Bills for small customers must provide each company's toll-free telephone number for billing inquiries.(3) The commission's address and toll-free telephone number for customer complaints must appear on all bills for small customers.(4) The payment due date must appear on all bills.(5) Natural gas distribution utilities may enter into agreements with natural gas suppliers for billings and collections. The two companies must establish an efficient method of resolving customer inquiries and disputes. The billing entity must be able to provide the customer with the name, address, and telephone number of an employee or department responsible for customer dispute resolution.(6) Bills for natural gas services must clearly itemize each service component and the charge associated with each service component, including: (b) transmission and distribution; (i) if charges for transmission and ancillary services are paid by a supplier and passed on to a retail customer in electricity supply charges, the supplier must identify the transmission portion of the charges;(c) transition charges; and(d) universal system benefits.(7) Bills must separately subtotal charges for regulated and unregulated services. Bills combining charges for both electric and natural gas services must separate the electricity-related portion of the bill from the natural gas-related portion and separately subtotal the regulated and unregulated charges for each.(8) Bills must provide the actual cents per mcf/dkt charged to the customer for the customer's usage of natural gas supply for the current billing period, calculated by dividing the total charge for supply service by the customer's usage for the current billing period.(9) Undesignated partial payments of a bill must be applied first to regulated service, then to service other than regulated service in the percentage of each service provider's charges to the total charges to the customer for services other than regulated service. Regulated service may not be affected by billing disputes over unregulated service or service provided by other companies.(10) A for-profit affiliate of a cooperative utility that uses a regulated distribution utility's facilities to supply natural gas to customers outside the cooperative utility's distribution service territory must satisfy the billing provisions of this rule.Mont. Admin. r. 38.5.6006
NEW, 1999 MAR p. 1233, Eff. 6/4/99; AMD, 2008 MAR p. 575, Eff. 3/28/08.69-3-1404, MCA; IMP, 69-3-1404, MCA;