On Wednesday, September 16th, the Public Service Commission hosted a rulemaking proceeding to discuss Commission Docket No. 2019-387-A, which involves the prohibition of the sale of customer data by Commission-regulated utilities absent a customer's direct consent.

Customer data is defined as any sensitive data that pertains to the individual customers of a utility provider. This regulation will ensure that any data classified as “customer data” cannot be shared, disclosed, or sold to any third party (that is, anyone who is not the customer or a representative of the utility provider) without the direct consent of the customer. By creating standards for the sharing of this data, and prohibiting the transfer of this data without your express consent, the Public Service Commission protects your privacy and ensures your data is secure and under your control.

The PSC’s Chief Clerk Jocelyn Boyd presented on the proposed regulation, defining the terms used under the regulation and the timeline upon which the regulation was established, before opening the floor to comments. Representatives of the Town of Irmo, Duke Energy Carolinas/Duke Energy Progress, Dominion Energy, and the Office of Regulatory Staff offered comments on the regulation as presented by the Commission, ranging from the difficulties of notifying all customers to the need to preserve channels of communication between municipal code enforcement staff and utilities.

Chairman Justin Williams also sought for “strong penalty provisions” to penalize utilities who violate the regulation, which he noted would be needed to ensure compliance. Chairman Williams noted that the regulation is an evolving document, and that comments will remain open through the end of the week.

Following that deadline, and the Commissioners considering and ruling on the proposed regulation at a Commission Business Meeting, the proposed regulation will go before the General Assembly of South Carolina. Updates on the progress of this regulation will be posted to the Public Service Commission’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as on the Docket Management System at this link. You can also watch a recording of the meeting at this link.

Have questions? Reach out to the Public Service Commission at contact@psc.sc.gov or the SC Utility Consumer contact at robert.bockman@psc.sc.gov or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for moment-to-moment updates and other helpful information you need to be a smart consumer.