South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 103 - PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION › Article 8 - PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE › Section 103-823.2 - Protection of Customer Data

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
A.
			 Definitions of Key Terms.
(1) Aggregated
			 Data. The term "aggregated data" means customer data, alone or in combination
			 with non-customer data, resulting from processing (e.g., average of a group of
			 customers) or the compilation of customer data from which all unique
			 identifiers have been removed.
(2)
			 Commission. The term "Commission" means the Public Service Commission of South
			 Carolina.
(3) Customer Data. For
			 purposes of this section, "customer data" means data about a current or former
			 customer's electric, natural gas, water, or wastewater usage; information that
			 is obtained as part of an advanced metering infrastructure; and personal
			 identifying information, as defined in S.C. Code Ann. Section
			 39-1-90(D)(3)
			 and S.C. Code Ann. Section
			 16-13-510(D),
			 as may be amended, including the name, account number, billing history, address
			 of the customer, email address, telephone number, and fax number, in the
			 possession of electric, natural gas, water or wastewater public utilities.
Also, "customer data" means non-public retail customer-specific
				data or information that has been obtained or compiled by a public utility in
				connection with the supplying of Commission-regulated electric, natural gas,
				waste, or wastewater services. Customer data includes data or information that
				is:
(a) collected from the meter, by
			 the public utility, and stored in its data systems for billing purposes;
(b) customer-specific usage
			 information for regulated public utility service;
(c) about the customer's participation in
			 regulated public utility programs, such as renewable energy, demand-side
			 management, load management, or energy efficiency programs; or
(d) any other non-public information specific
			 to a customer that is related to electricity consumption, load profile, or
			 billing history.
(4)
			 Non-Public Utility Operations. The term "non-public utility operations" means
			 all business enterprises engaged in by a public utility that are not regulated
			 by the Commission or otherwise subject to public utility regulation at the
			 state or federal level.
(5) Primary
			 Purpose. The term "primary purpose" means the acquisition, storage or
			 maintenance of customer data by a public utility, as defined by Title 58 of the
			 South Carolina Code, which provides services pursuant to state law, federal
			 law, or Order of the Commission.
(6) Secondary Commercial Purpose. The term
			 "secondary commercial purpose" means any purpose that is not a primary
			 purpose.
(7) Third Party. The term
			 "third party" means a person who is not the customer, nor any of the following:
(i) an agent of the customer designated by
			 the customer with the public utility to act on the customer's behalf;
(ii) a regulated public utility
			 serving the customer; or
(iii) a
			 contracted agent of the public utility. For purposes of this regulation, "third
			 party" includes any non-public utility operations or affiliate of the public
			 utility.
(8) Unique
			 Identifier. The term "unique identifier" means a customer's name, account
			 number, meter number, mailing address, telephone number, or email address.