Section 585 Of Article 5. Reports To The Commission From California Public Utilities Code >> Division 1. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 5.
585
. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (d), every public
utility and business specified in subdivision (b) shall in any rate
proceeding or proceeding establishing a fact or rule that may
influence a rate, provide the commission with access to all computer
models, as defined in Section 1821, which are used by that public
utility or business to substantiate their showing in the proceeding.
(b) The commission shall, by rule or order, with full opportunity
for participation by utilities and other affected parties, establish
procedures and safeguards governing its access to, and monitoring,
verification, and use of, computer models of every public utility and
of any business which is a commission regulated subsidiary or
affiliate of a public utility with respect to any rate proceeding or
proceeding establishing a fact or rule that may influence a rate. The
time, place, and manner of commission access shall, to the extent
practicable, be the subject of mutual agreement between the
commission and the affected utility, and the parties shall make every
good faith effort to reach agreement. If an agreement is reached, it
shall include, but is not limited to, provisions to reasonably
assure the legitimate needs for security of the public utilities'
computer resources. These provisions shall provide for the
confidentiality of records, the protection of proprietary
information, and the protection of the reasonable expectation of
customers of public utilities in the privacy of customer-specific
records maintained by the utility. If no agreement is reached, any
order issued by the commission requiring computer access shall
include, but is not limited to, provisions providing for the security
of the utility's data bases, confidentiality of records, protection
of proprietary information, and the privacy of customer-specific
records maintained by the utility. The commission shall convene a
proceeding to adopt these rules as soon as possible after the
operative date of the act adding this section to the code.
(c) This section shall not expand or limit any powers of the
commission to prescribe the manner of keeping books, records, and
systems of accounts of public utilities and to investigate any of
these books, records, systems of accounts, or memoranda under
existing law, or any other power of the commission under existing
law. Any utility may object to a rule or order of the commission
concerning the access prescribed herein under the rules of procedure
of the commission consistent with existing law.
(d) This section does not apply to common carriers.