Chapter 2.2. Natural Gas Restructuring of California Public Utilities Code >> Division 1. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 2.2.

The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:
  (a) In order to ensure that all core customers of a gas corporation continue to receive safe basic gas service in a competitive market, each existing gas corporation should continue to provide this essential service.
  (b) No customer should have to pay separate fees for utilizing services that protect public or customer safety.

As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:
  (a) "Basic gas service" includes transmission, storage for reliability of service, and distribution of natural gas, purchasing natural gas on behalf of a customer, revenue cycle services, and after-meter services.
  (b) "Revenue cycle services" means metering services, billing the customer, collection, and related customer services.
  (c) "After-meter services" includes, but is not limited to, leak investigation, inspecting customer piping and appliances, carbon monoxide investigation, pilot relighting, and high bill investigation.
  (d) "Metering services" includes, but is not limited to, gas meter installation, meter maintenance, meter testing, collecting and processing consumption data, and all related services associated with the meter.

The commission shall require each gas corporation to provide bundled basic gas service to all core customers in its service territory unless the customer chooses or contracts to have natural gas purchased and supplied by another entity. A public utility gas corporation shall continue to be the exclusive provider of revenue cycle services to all customers in its service territory, except that an entity purchasing and supplying natural gas under the commission' s existing core aggregation program may perform billing and collection services for its customers under the same terms as currently authorized by the commission, and except that a supplier of natural gas to noncore customers may perform billing and collection for natural gas supply for its customers. The gas corporation shall continue to calculate its charges for services provided by that corporation. If the commission establishes credits to be provided by the gas corporation to core aggregation or noncore customers who obtain billing or collection services from entities other than the gas corporation, the credit shall be equal to the billing and collection services costs actually avoided by the gas corporation. The commission shall require the distribution rate to continue to include after-meter services.