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Tex. Util. Code § 17.157

DISPUTES

Known as the Public Utility Regulatory Act

The act spans §§ 11–66 (1,170 sections).

Applied in 4 court decisions — leading case 635 F. Supp. 2d 539 - Hancock v. Chicago Title Insurance (2009)

Most recently applied in Harris County Hospital District// Cross-Appellants,Public Utility Commission of Texas and Southwestern Bell Telephone Company D/B/A AT&T Texas v. Public Utility Commission of Texas and Southwestern Bell Telephone Company D/B/A AT&T Texas// Cross-Appellee, Harris County Hospital District (May 2019)

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1579, Sec. 3, eff

How often courts cite this section

20092010201910
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(a) The commission may resolve disputes between a retail customer and a billing utility, service provider, telecommunications utility, retail electric provider, or electric utility.

(b) In exercising its authority under Subsection (a), the commission may:

(1) order a billing utility, service provider, retail electric provider, or electric utility to produce information or records;

(2) require that all contracts, bills, and other communications from a billing utility, service provider, retail electric provider, or electric utility display a working toll-free telephone number that customers may call with complaints and inquiries;

(3) require a billing utility, service provider, retail electric provider, or electric utility to refund or credit overcharges or unauthorized charges with interest if the billing utility, service provider, retail electric provider, or electric utility has failed to comply with commission rules or a contract with the customer;

(4) order appropriate relief to ensure that a customer's choice of a telecommunications service provider, a retail electric provider, or an electric utility that encompasses a geographic area in which more than one provider has been certificated is honored;

(5) require the continuation of service to a residential or small commercial customer while a dispute is pending regarding charges the customer has alleged were unauthorized; and

(6) investigate an alleged violation.

(c) The commission shall adopt procedures for the resolution of disputes in a timely manner, which in no event shall exceed 60 days.

Official source: Texas Constitution and Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Texas statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.