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Bill tightens consumer protections for competitive suppliers; advocates press further safeguards
Summary
The bill would restrict predatory practices by competitive electricity suppliers, expand DPU enforcement authority and change purchase‑of‑receivables arrangements; advocates urged stronger limits and clearer enforcement mechanisms.
BOSTON — Consumer groups, community organizations and municipal leaders applauded provisions in the Energy Affordability Act to strengthen consumer protections for residential competitive electricity suppliers, but urged the committee to go further.
Section 21 would expand DPU authority over third‑party suppliers, restrict predatory marketing, bar automatic renewals in many cases and clamp down on variable‑rate contract practices. The bill also authorizes DPU to better match supplier recovery to actual customer payments, limiting cross‑subsidies where utilities collect supplier invoices from customers who later default.
Community advocates said automatic renewals and opaque variable‑rate terms have driven higher costs for vulnerable households and that a retrofit of market rules should not depend on customers opting out later. Some groups urged the committee to adopt a full residential sales ban for competitive suppliers; others recommended banning in‑person door‑to‑door signups, requiring clearer methodology disclosures for price adjustments and creating stronger DPU enforcement powers and line‑item reporting requirements.
Municipal officials and aggregation representatives supported measures preventing suppliers from carving off low‑income or non‑English speaking customers through misleading pitches. Several witnesses asked that municipal aggregation and community solar programs be preserved and that any POR (purchase of receivables) reform not disadvantage aggregation programs serving local customers.
