The bill amends the Code of West Virginia by adding a new section, 46A-6-111, which establishes limitations on the billing practices of Internet and telecommunications providers when they fail to deliver service to subscribed customers for five or more consecutive days (120 hours). The purpose of this section is to ensure that customers are not charged for services they did not receive during extended outages caused by the provider. It mandates that providers automatically credit customers' accounts for the duration of the service disruption and prohibits billing for services during such interruptions.

Additionally, the bill empowers the Attorney General to enforce these provisions and seek civil penalties against providers that violate the rules, with penalties ranging from the cost of one month of service up to $5,000. Providers are also required to submit monthly reports to the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General detailing the number of customers receiving credits, the total dollar amount of credits, and the geographic scope of outages lasting 120 hours or more. However, the provisions do not apply to mobile service disruptions, and the information provided to the Attorney General will be kept confidential.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 46A-6-111
Committee Substitute: 46A-6-111
Engrossed Committee Substitute: 46A-6-111