New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 14 - PUBLIC UTILITIES › Chapter 3 - ALL UTILITIES › Subchapter 3A - DISCONTINUANCE AND RESTORATION OF SERVICE › Section 14:3-3A.8 - Discontinuance of a residential customer's telephone service

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) The following
				words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings
				unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additional definitions that
				apply to this section can be found at
				14:3-1.1:
"Basic residential local telephone charges" include charges
				  for basic residential local telephone service, basic residential local service
				  usage, nonrecurring charges for basic services (service ordering charges and
				  installation charges for basic services), the Federally mandated subscriber
				  line charges, and applicable State and Federal taxes.
"Basic residential local telephone service" or "BRLTS" means
				  voice grade access service to the public switched network, touch tone service,
				  single party service, access to emergency services, access to operator
				  services, access to interexchange services, access to directory assistance and
				  repair service associated with these services, and white pages listings
				  provided to a residential subscriber.
"Nonbasic residential telephone service" means any
				  telecommunications service or product other than basic residential local
				  telephone service. The term includes, but is not limited to, the sale or lease
				  of customer premises equipment, inside wiring maintenance plans, custom calling
				  services (call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding, call return services),
				  audiotext services, toll services, long distance service, pay-per-call services
				  and international information or entertainment services.
(b) A telephone utility shall comply with all
				requirements for discontinuance of service in this section, in addition to the
				other requirements in this subchapter.
(c) When a residential customer's BRLTS
				charges exceed $ 30.00, a telephone utility may, in accordance with
				14:3-3A.3(c),
				disconnect the service no sooner than 10 days after the postmark date of the
				written notice of discontinuance provided to the customer under
				14:3-3A.3(b).
				Such notice shall include a statement that informs customers of their ability
				to make a partial payment on the bill and that any partial payment made by the
				customer would be allocated according to (h) below.
(d) A telephone utility may terminate BRLTS
				only for nonpayment of basic residential local telephone service charges, in
				accordance with
				14:3-3A.2(b).
(e) When a residential customer's charges for
				non-basic telephone services are more than $ 20.00 in arrears, a telephone
				utility may deny or block those services, at no additional charge to the
				residential customer, subject to the notice requirements in (c) above.
				Customers who select the residential credit limit option in (f) below shall not
				be blocked until such time as their limit is met.
(f) A telephone utility may offer customers a
				residential credit limit option as follows:
1. A telephone utility that provides BRLTS
				and/or nonbasic residential telephone service may offer residential customers a
				credit limit option for an amount of not less than $ 200.00, as follows:
i. This option pertains exclusively to
				services, other than BRLTS, provided by telephone utilities;
ii. Pursuant to this option, a customer may
				incur unpaid charges for services other than BRLTS, up to the amount of the
				credit limit option;
iii. Every
				utility that provides basic or nonbasic residential local telephone service
				shall offer a deferred payment arrangement pursuant to
				14:3-7.7 to any customer that
				exceeds the customer's credit limit;
iv. If the credit limit is reached for a
				customer that has selected the credit limit option, the utility may block or
				otherwise restrict the customer's access to services other than BRLTS;
				and
v. If the utility blocks or
				restricts non-BRLTS service under (f)1iv above, no additional tariff charge for
				blocking or service restoration shall apply, nor shall the telephone utility
				send a separate notice of discontinuance to the customer, notwithstanding other
				provisions of the utility's tariff; and