The House of Delegates passed legislation meant to protect consumers from being charged for essential digital services they did not actually receive.
House Bill 4461 aims to regulate the billing practices of internet and telecommunications companies during prolonged service failures.
The bill passed 92-0 on Friday morning.
“This was very similar to a bill passed by this House last year,” said House Energy Chairman Bill Anderson, R-Wood. “I urge passage of the bill.”
The bill mandates that providers must automatically issue prorated credits to customers who experience outages lasting five consecutive days or longer.
Financial adjustments are required only when the disruption is within the provider’s control, excluding instances like cyber-attacks or natural disasters.
To ensure compliance, the Attorney General is authorized to levy civil penalties and monitor monthly outage data submitted by the companies.
Notably, the bill focuses on stationary devices and explicitly excludes mobile phone service disruptions.
The legislation was one of a series of policies that AARP West Virginia highlighted this week as part of a consumer-focused agenda.
“Candidates who champion stronger consumer protections are more likely to get the earned the trust and support of the voters,” said Roger Calhoun, president of AARP West Virginia during a press conference this week.
“To the lawmakers working both chambers on behalf of the constituents, we urge you to take action to strengthen protections against these growing threats.”