By Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Public Service Commission has opened an investigation into how utilities and cable service providers notify their customers of outages.
The PSC launched the inquiry in an order issued Monday that indicates the agency may hold hearings or meetings on the subject after it collects information. The order requires responses from the following utilities and cable service providers named as respondents in the proceeding:
- Mountaineer Gas Co.
- Hope Gas Inc.
- Consumers Gas Utility Co.
- Union Oil & Gas
- Cardinal Natural Gas Co.
- West Virginia American Water
- Beckley Water Co.
- Mon Power
- Potomac Edison
- Morgantown Utility Board
- Frontier West Virginia Inc.
- Optimum
The order requires the respondents to file a response within 20 days explaining:
- How they let their customers know of service outages
- What plans they have, if any, to “add, expand, modify, or improve” their notification systems
- Any technical or physical barriers to providing electronic notifications by email or text message
- Procedures in place to notify mass communication media of outages
