OAR 860-034-0140: Establishing Credit for Residential Utility Service

(1) An applicant or customer may demonstrate satisfactory credit for new or continuing service by showing any of the following, provided that a deposit is not required under section (2) of this rule: (a) Received 12 months of continuous telecommunications utility service during the preceding 24 months and the small telecommunications utility can verify, either by contacting the former utility or through an authorized letter provided by the applicant or customer, that the applicant or customer voluntarily terminated service and timely paid for all services rendered; or (b) Proof of ability to pay by providing either: (A) Proof of employment during the entire 12 months previous to the application of service for person(s) responsible for payment on the account and a work telephone number to enable the small telecommunications utility to verify employment; or (B) A statement or other documentation from the income provider or an authorized representative, that the small telecommunications utility can verify, indicating that the applicant or customer receives a regular source of income. (2) In addition to the methods of demonstrating satisfactory credit set forth in section (1) of this rule, a small telecommunications utility may choose to offer an applicant the option of demonstrating satisfactory credit by meeting minimum credit requirements approved by the Commission. (3) An applicant or customer may be required to pay a deposit at the time of application for new or continued service when: (a) The applicant or customer is unable to establish credit as defined in section (1) of this rule; (b) The applicant or customer received the same type of utility service from it or any Oregon telecommunications utility or telecommunications cooperative, as defined in ORS 759.005, within the preceding 24 months and owed an account balance that was not paid in full when service was terminated. Subsection (2)(b) of this rule does not apply to a customer who registered a dispute with the Commission within 60 days after service was terminated and who paid all undisputed or adjudicated amounts; or (c) The applicant or customer was previously terminated for theft of service by any Oregon telecommunications utility or telecommunications cooperative as defined in ORS 759.005, was found to have tampered with other telecommunications utility facilities, or was otherwise found to have diverted telecommunications utility service. (4) In lieu of paying a deposit, an applicant or customer may provide the small telecommunications utility a written surety agreement from a responsible party to secure payment in an amount equal to two months' average usage. For purposes of section (3) of this rule, a responsible party is a customer with the same utility who meets one of the qualifying conditions outlined in section (1) of this rule. The surety agreement obligation will automatically terminate should the responsible party no longer meet the conditions set forth herein. In the event a responsible party is subsequently found not to qualify, the applicant or customer will be required to either pay a deposit or obtain a written surety agreement from another responsible party. The surety obligation ceases when the customer establishes good credit. (5) Deposits for telecommunications service shall be based upon two months' average or estimated bills for usage of the applicable telecommunications utility's tariff and price-listed services. Each deposit shall be rounded to the nearest whole dollar. For telecommunications service, applicants eligible for Oregon Telephone Assistance Program (OTAP) funding and who voluntarily elect to receive toll-blocked service, no deposit may be charged. The small telecommunications utility shall make toll blocking available at no charge to all applicants identified in OAR 860-033-0030. (6) A new or additional deposit, calculated as provided by sections (4) of this rule with the most recent information available, may be required from a customer as a condition of continued service when: (a) The small telecommunications utility discovers that the customer gave false information to establish an account and/or credit status; (b) The small telecommunications utility discovers that the customer has stolen utility service, has tampered with the meter or other utility facilities, or was otherwise found to have diverted utility service; or (c) If service records for the customer indicates unbilled intraLATA toll activity under the small telecommunications utility’s tariff and price list is greater than the basis of the prior deposit. (7) Paying a deposit does not excuse a customer from complying with the small telecommunications utility's tariffs or other regulations on file with the Commission, such as the obligation to promptly pay bills. (8) A small telecommunications utility may file a tariff that contains less stringent deposit requirements than those specified in this rule.