Maryland Code § PU-7-604.2

Section PU-7-604.2
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(a) In this section, "default gas commodity service" means the supply of
retail gas commodity service by a customer's gas company.
(b) (1) This subsection applies to residential gas supply other than
default gas commodity service provided by a gas company.
(2) A gas supplier that supplies gas to residential retail gas
customers:

(i) may offer gas service only at a price that does not exceed
the trailing 12-month average of the gas company's default gas commodity service in
the gas company's service territory as of the date of the agreement with the customer;
(ii) may offer residential gas supply only for a term not to
exceed 12 months at a time and may automatically renew the term only if the gas
supplier provides notice to the customer 90 days before and 30 days before renewal;
(iii) subject to paragraph (3) of this subsection, may not offer a
variable rate other than a rate that adjusts for seasonal variation not more than twice
in a single year; and
(iv) may not pay a commission or other incentive-based
compensation to an energy salesperson for enrolling customers.
(3) Paragraph (2)(iii) of this subsection does not prohibit the offer and
use of rates that differ based on the total number of therms used by a customer in
any billing period.
(4) A gas supplier that supplies gas to residential retail gas
customers may not sell to a gas company, and a gas company may not purchase from
the gas supplier, accounts receivable.
(c) A gas company and a gas supplier that supplies gas to residential retail
gas customers shall establish a mechanism for a customer whose account number or
customer choice identification number has been compromised to receive a
replacement account number or customer choice identification number on request,
subject to verification in a manner approved by the Commission.
(d) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, as
approved by the Commission by regulation or order, each gas company and each gas
supplier that supplies gas to residential retail gas customers shall allow a customer
to indicate the customer's intention to remain on default gas commodity service
indefinitely and not to receive directed marketing contacts from gas suppliers
through the implementation of a "do not transfer" list onto which the customer may
request to be placed.
(2) A gas supplier that supplies gas to residential retail gas
customers may contact a customer on a "do not transfer" list until the gas supply
agreement entered into between the gas supplier and the customer expires.

(e) (1) In this subsection, "billing entity" means a gas company, a
licensed gas supplier, or any other entity that is responsible for issuing a gas bill to a
residential customer.
(2) On or before the 15th day of each month, each billing entity shall
submit a report to the Commission on customer choice in its service territory for the
preceding month, including:
(i) the total therms distributed to customers purchasing gas
from a third-party gas supplier;
(ii) the total supply cost charged to customers purchasing gas
from a third-party gas supplier;
(iii) the total cost that customers specified in item (ii) of this
paragraph would have paid under default gas commodity service;
(iv) the net third-party total cost compared to the net default
gas commodity service cost;
(v) the total third-party average rate;
(vi) the default gas commodity service average rate;
(vii) the difference between the total third-party average rate
and the default gas commodity service average rate;
(viii) the third-party average residential rates broken out by
supplier and the variance between each of these rates and the default gas commodity
service average rate;
(ix) the third-party average general service nondemand rates
broken out by supplier and the variance between each of these third-party rates and
the default gas commodity service average rate;
(x) the third-party average general service demand rates
broken out by supplier and the variance between each of these third-party rates and
the default gas commodity service average rate;
(xi) the third-party average large power demand rates broken
out by supplier and the variance between each of these third-party rates and the
default gas commodity service average rate; and

(xii) other pertinent information the Commission considers
appropriate.
(f) The Commission shall, by regulation or order, adopt procedures to carry
out this section.

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