SECTION 17. PSC 185.12 (6) is amended to read:
(6) "Customer" means any person, owner, occupant, firm, partnership, corporation, municipality, cooperative organization, governmental agency, political entity, etc., provided with water service by any water public utility and is the party billed for payment of bills issued for use of utility service at a given premises. This definition is intended to create billing and payment responsibilities, but does not limit the need to afford occupants other protection under this chapter (e.g., evictions, emergency);.
SECTION 18. PSC 185.12 (7) is amended to read:
(7) "Customer-requested termination" is cessation of service at the request of the customer;.
SECTION 19. PSC 185.12 (8) is amended to read:
(8) "Deferred payment agreement" means an arrangement between a utility and a customer for payment of a delinquent amount or deposit in installments; that meets the requirements of s. PSC 185.38. SECTION 20. PSC 185.12 (9) is amended to read:
(9) "Denied or refused service" means service that a utility has refused to provide to a present or future customer, occupant, or premises;.
SECTION 21. PSC 185.12 (10) is amended to read:
(10) "Disconnection" means an event or action taken by the utility to terminate or discontinue the provision of service, but does not include a customer-requested termination of service;.
SECTION 22. PSC 185.12 (10e) is repealed.
SECTION 23. PSC 185.12 (10g) is created to read:
(10g) “Dwelling” means a place at which a home or regular abode is maintained, and requires both a personal presence and an intent to remain for a period of time.
SECTION 24. PSC 185.12 (10m) is renumbered PSC 185.12(10r).
SECTION 25. PSC 185.12 (10s) is repealed.
SECTION 26. PSC 185.12 (11) is amended to read:
(11) "Meter" means an instrument installed to measure the volume and/or rate of flow of water delivered through it;.
SECTION 27. PSC 185.12 (11m) and the Note following PSC 185.12(11m) are repealed.
SECTION 28. PSC 185.12 (12) is amended to read:
(12) "New residential customer," for purpose of deposit, means a customer who has not received utility service in his or her name during the previous 6 months from the utility from which service is requested;.
SECTION 29. PSC 185.12 (12m) is amended to read:
(12) "Non-residential Nonresidential customer" means any commercial, industrial, or public authority customer that is not a residential customer.
SECTION 30. PSC 185.12 (13) is amended to read:
(13) "Occupant" means the resident or residents of a premise or premises to which utility service is provided;.
SECTION 31. PSC 185.12 (14) is amended to read:
(14) "Percent registration" means the ratio of the meter registration divided by the actual volume or rate of flow, stated in percent. Stated more simply for domestic (volumetric) meters, this is the percent of the water delivered through a meter which the meter actually registers;.
SECTION 32. PSC 185.12 (15) is repealed.
SECTION 33. PSC 185.12 (16) is renumbered PSC 185.12 (15) and amended to read:
(15) "Prompt full payment" means payment of the amount due prior to the time when a utility could issue a notice of disconnection for nonpayment of an amount not in dispute, including the current utility service charges plus any deferred payment agreement installment or deposit installment amounts due;.
SECTION 34. PSC 185.12 (17) is renumbered PSC 185.12 (16) and amended to read:
(16) "Protective service services emergency" means a threat to the health or safety of a resident because of the infirmities of aging, mental retardation an intellectual disability, other developmental or mental disabilities, or like infirmities incurred at any age, or the frailties associated with being very young;.
SECTION 35. PSC 185.12 (17m) is repealed.
SECTION 36. PSC 185.12 (18) and the Note following PSC 185.12(18) are repealed.
SECTION 37. PSC 185.12 (19) is renumbered PSC 185.12(20) and amended to read:
(20) "Public utility Utility" means an entity or individual included a public utility as defined in s. 196.01 (5), Stats., which provides water for the public and an entity authorized by s. 66.0819, Stats., which provides water and sewer service for the public;. SECTION 38. PSC 185.12 (20) is renumbered PSC 185.12 (17) and amended to read:
(17) "Remote outside meter" or “(ROM)” means an analog device attached to a building structure which displays the reading of the base meter through electronic pulses sent from the base meter. Remote outside meters are considered part of the utility's metering configuration.
SECTION 39. PSC 185.12 (20g) is renumbered PSC 185.12 (18) and amended to read:
(18) "Residential customer" means a customer taking service for residential or domestic purposes but does not include a multi-family residential customer and includes customers at properties such as duplexes and residential apartment buildings.
SECTION 40. PSC 185.12 (20r) is renumbered PSC 185.12 (19).
SECTION 41. PSC 185.12 (22) is amended to read:
(22) "Water conservation" means practices, techniques, and technologies that reduce the demand for water, reduce water loss non-revenue water or waste, or improve water use efficiency.
SECTION 42. The Note following PSC 185.12 (22) is repealed.
SECTION 43. PSC 185.12 (23) is created to read:
(23) "Written" or "in writing" means legibly printed on paper or, with the intended recipient's permission, legibly printed in an electronic form that the recipient can electronically store and retrieve for future reference.
SECTION 44. PSC 185.14 is created to read:
PSC 185.14 Whistleblower protection. (1) No utility may interfere with, restrain, or coerce any employee or other person in the exercise of the right to disclose information to the commission or other governmental body regarding the safety and reliability of any portion of the water or regulated sewer system, provided that the employee or other person reasonably believes that such information is true.
(2) No utility may dismiss, discipline, demote, transfer, reprimand, harass, reduce the pay of, discriminate against, or otherwise retaliate against any employee or other person because that person engaged in any of the activities described in sub. (1).
SECTION 45. PSC 185.15 is amended to read:
PSC 185.15 Free or discriminatory service prohibited. No A utility shall not provide water service free or at a rate different than provided for in its rates. (See ss. 196.22 and 196.60, Stats.) This section applies to, but is not limited to, water service for all nonutility municipal purposes such as street and sewer flushing, and service to nonutility public buildings. SECTION 46. PSC 185.16 (1) is amended to read:
(1) A water public utility upon receipt of written notice as required by s. 66.0831, Stats., from the property owner or from a contractor of work which may affect its facilities used for serving the public: SECTION 47. PSC 185.16 (1) (c) is amended to read:
(c) May, in order to protect its interests, require that the property owner or contractor perform certain work upon or removal of that part of the service piping from the property facilities upon which the excavating, building, or wrecking operations are being performed.
SECTION 48. PSC 185.16 (2) is amended to read:
(2) This section is not intended to affect the responsibility of the contractor or property owner, or the liability or legal rights of any party.
SECTION 49. PSC 185.17 is repealed.
SECTION 50. PSC 185.18 is amended to read:
PSC 185.18 Location of records. All A utility shall keep all records required or necessary for the administration of this chapter shall be kept within this state unless otherwise authorized by the commission. These records shall be available for examination by the commission or its authorized representative at all reasonable hours. (See s. 196.06 (6), Stats.) A utility may fulfill the requirements of this section by being able to access electronic copies of the original records. SECTION 51. PSC 185.21 (1) is amended to read:
(1) INCLUDED IN SCHEDULES SCHEDULES TO BE FILED. Each utility shall file with the commission its schedule of rates and rules, as required by s. 196.19, Stats. The schedules of rates and rules shall be filed with the commission by the utility and shall be classified, designated, arranged, and submitted so as to conform to the requirements of the current tariff or rate schedules and the special instructions which have been and may from time to time be issued by the commission. Provisions of the schedules shall be definite and so stated as to minimize ambiguity or the possibility of misinterpretation, and shall include, together with such other information as may be deemed pertinent, all of the following: SECTION 52. PSC 185.21 (1) (a) is amended to read:
(a) All rates and charges for service, including water sold for resell to another utility, with indication for each rate and charge of the class of customers to which it applies. There shall also be shown any limitations on the service furnished under such rate, the prices per unit of service, and the number of units per billing period to which the prices apply, the period of billing, the minimum bill, method of measuring demands (where applicable) and consumptions, and any special terms and conditions applicable. The charge for late payment, if any, and the period during which the bill may be paid without late payment charge shall be specified;.
SECTION 53. PSC 185.21 (1) (b) is amended to read:
(b) At commission discretion a copy of each contract or the standard contract form with a summary of the provisions of each signed contract may be required if service to other utilities or municipalities for resale is furnished at a standard filed rate;.
SECTION 54. PSC 185.21 (1) (bm) is created to read:
(bm) The rates and rules applicable to a reduced rate for water wasted due to a leak unknown to the customer that is found in an appliance or the plumbing, if the utility offers a reduced rate.
SECTION 55. PSC 185.21 (1) (c) is amended to read:
(c) Extension rules for extending service to new customers indicating what portion of the extension or cost shall be furnished by the utility, and if the rule is based on cost, the items of cost included;.
SECTION 56. PSC 185.21 (1) (cm) is created to read:
(cm) Rules governing extraordinary investment by the utility to extend service to new customers or significantly increase the quantity or quality of service provided to an existing customer.
SECTION 57. PSC 185.21 (1) (d) is amended to read:
(d) Designation of such portion of the service facilities as the utility furnishes, owns, and maintains;.
SECTION 58. PSC 185.21 (1) (dm) is created to read:
(dm) Designation of such portion of the service facilities as the customer furnishes, owns, and maintains.
SECTION 59. PSC 185.21 (1) (e) is amended to read:
(e) Rules with which prospective customers shall comply as a condition of receiving service and the terms of any contracts required;.
SECTION 60. PSC 185.21 (1) (f) is amended to read:
(f) Rules governing the establishing of credit by customers for payment of service bills deferred payment agreements and budget billing;.
SECTION 61. PSC 185.21 (1) (g) is amended to read:
(g) Rules governing the procedures followed in disconnecting and reconnecting service;.
SECTION 62. PSC 185.21 (1) (h) is amended to read:
(h) Notice required from customer for having service disconnected;.
SECTION 63. PSC 185.21 (1) (i) is amended to read:
(i) Rules governing temporary, emergency, auxiliary, and standby service;.
SECTION 64. PSC 185.21 (1) (j) is amended to read:
(j) Rules governing any limitations on the type of equipment which may or may not be connected;.
SECTION 65. PSC 185.21 (1) (k) is amended to read:
(k) A list of the municipalities and unincorporated communities in which service is rendered and the rates under which service shall be provided. The list of service areas and the rates shall be filed in such form as to facilitate ready determination of the rates available in each municipality and in such unincorporated communities.
