R.C.S.A. § 16-244h-3
Nondiscrimination
Cite as Conn. Agencies Regs. § 16-244h-3
(a) No Preferential Treatment Regarding Services Provided by the Electric Distribution
Company: Unless otherwise authorized by the department or the FERC, or permitted by sections
16-244h-1 to 16-244h-7, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies,
an electric distribution company shall not:
(1) Provide its generation entities or affiliates, or customers of its generation entities
or affiliates, any preference (including but not limited to terms and conditions,
pricing, or timing) over unaffiliated electric suppliers or their customers in the
provision of services provided by the electric distribution company, or allow an employee,
officer, director or agent of a generating entity or affiliate preferential access
to information concerning the electric distribution company's customers or distribution
system that is not available on an equivalent basis to unaffiliated electric suppliers;
or
(2) Allow an employee, officer, director or agent of a generating entity or affiliate
to conduct distribution system operations or have access to system control centers
or similar facilities used by distribution operations in any way that differs from
the access available to employees of unaffiliated electric suppliers.
(b) Affiliate Transactions:
(1) Pricing, terms and conditions: Except joint purchases and corporate support services
permitted in sections 16-244h-5(e) and 16-244h-5(f), transactions between an electric
distribution company and its generation entities or affiliates shall be limited to:
(A) Products and services offered by tariff; and
(B) Goods, property, products or services sold by the electric distribution company to
its generation entities or affiliates and made available to all electric suppliers
under the same terms and conditions. Such goods, property, products or services shall
be priced pursuant to the provisions of section 16-244h-5(i) of the Regulations of
Connecticut State Agencies. An electric distribution company shall post information
concerning non-tariffed transactions with its generation entities or affiliates on
its affiliate discount internet web page in accordance with subsection (f) of this
section.
(2) Provision of Transmission Services, Distribution Services or Information: An electric
distribution company shall provide all electric suppliers access to its transmission
and distribution facilities in a nondiscriminatory manner. If an electric distribution
company offers supply, capacity, services or information to its generation entities
or affiliates, it shall contemporaneously make the offering available to all electric
suppliers, except that communications referenced in section 16-244h-2(b) of the Regulations
of Connecticut State Agencies need not be made contemporaneously available. All information
concerning an electric distribution company's customers, the distribution system or
other market information that is provided to a generation entity or affiliate through
nonpublic communications, including communications referenced in section 16-244h-2(b)
of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, shall be provided to all electric
suppliers in a nondiscriminatory manner and on the same terms and conditions.
(3) Offering of Discounts: If an electric distribution company offers a discount or waives
all or any part of any other charge or fee to its generation entities or affiliates,
or offers a discount or waiver for a transaction in which its generation entities
or affiliates are involved, the electric distribution company shall contemporaneously
make such discount or waiver available to all electric suppliers serving the same
market. An electric distribution company shall not create a unique discount arrangement
with its generation entities or affiliates such that no competitor could be considered
as serving the same market. All electric suppliers serving the same market as the
generation entities or affiliates shall be offered the same discount as the discount
received by the generation entities or affiliates. An electric distribution company
shall document the cost differential underlying the discount to its generation entities
or affiliates in the affiliate discount report described in subsection (f) of this
section.
(4) Tariff Discretion: If a tariff provision allows for discretion in its application,
an electric distribution company and its employees shall apply that tariff provision
in the same manner to its generation entities or affiliates and all other electric
suppliers and their respective customers.
(5) No Tariff Discretion: If an electric distribution company has no discretion in the
application of a tariff provision, the electric distribution company and its employees
shall strictly enforce that tariff provision.
(6) Processing Requests for Services Provided by the Electric Distribution Company: An
electric distribution company shall process requests for similar services provided
by the electric distribution company in the same manner and within the same time for
its generation entities or affiliates and for all other electric suppliers and their
respective customers, and shall not give preference of any kind to its generation
entities or affiliates or their customers.
(c) Tying of Services Provided by an Electric Distribution Company Prohibited: An electric distribution company shall not condition or otherwise tie the provision
of any services provided by the electric distribution company, nor the availability
of discounts of rates or other charges or fees, rebates, or waivers of terms and conditions
of any services provided by the electric distribution company, to the purchasing of
any goods or services from its generation entities or affiliates.
(d) No Assignment of Customers: An electric distribution company shall not assign customers to which it provides
services to any of its generation entities or affiliates, whether by default, direct
assignment, option or by any other means, unless that means is equally available to
all competitors and approved by the department.
(e) Business Development and Customer Relations: Except as otherwise provided by sections 16-244h-1 to 16-244h-7, inclusive, of the
Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, an electric distribution company shall
not:
(1) Solicit business on behalf of its generation entities or affiliates;
(2) Acquire information on behalf of, or to provide to, its generation entities or affiliates;
(3) Request authorization from its customers to pass on customer information exclusively
to its generation entities or affiliates;
(4) Give the appearance that the electric distribution company speaks on behalf of or
represents its generation entities or affiliates or that the customer will receive
preferential treatment as a consequence of conducting business with the generation
entities or affiliates;
(5) Give any appearance that the generation entities or affiliates speak on behalf of
or represent the electric distribution company; or
(6) Provide referrals to its generation entities or affiliates.
(f) Affiliate Discount Reports:
(1) Each electric distribution company shall maintain a list of any discount, rebate or
other waiver of any charge, fee, term or condition associated with services provided
by the electric distribution company to its generation entities or affiliates on an
internet web page directly and conspicuously linked to its home page. If an electric
distribution company provides its generation entities or affiliates a discount, rebate,
or other waiver of any charge or fee associated with services provided by the electric
distribution company, the electric distribution company shall, within 24 hours of
the time at which the service provided by the electric distribution company is so
provided, post either directly on the discount page or on a page directly linked to
the discount page a notice providing the following information:
(A) The name of the generation entities or affiliate involved in the transaction;
(B) The generation entity or affiliate's role in the transaction (i.e., aggregator, electric
supplier, marketer);
(C) The rate charged;
(D) The maximum rate;
(E) The time period for which the discount or waiver applies;
(F) The quantities involved in the transaction;
(G) The delivery points involved in the transaction;
(H) Any conditions or requirements applicable to the discount or waiver, and a documentation
of the cost differential underlying the discount as required in subdivision (3) of
subsection (b) of this section; and
(I) Procedures by which an unaffiliated entity may request a comparable offer.
(2) The affiliate discount page and associated pages shall provide the following disclaimer:
"This page is intended to provide notice to all electric suppliers of any discount
provided by an electric distribution company to its own electric supplier affiliate
so that all electric suppliers may avail themselves of any such discount. It is not
intended to indicate that an electric distribution company's electric supplier affiliate
has preferential access to services."
(3) An electric distribution company shall maintain all records associated with transactions
to which subdivision (1) of this subsection applies in accordance with the provisions
of section 16-244h-4(f) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.