Ohio Code 4928.51 – Universal service fund
(A) There is hereby established in the state treasury a universal service fund, into which shall be deposited all universal service revenues remitted to the director of development under this section, for the exclusive purposes of providing funding for the low-income customer assistance programs and for the consumer education program authorized under section 4928.56 of the Revised Code, and paying the administrative costs of the low-income customer assistance programs and the consumer education program. Interest on the fund shall be credited to the fund. Disbursements from the fund shall be made to any supplier that provides a competitive retail electric service or a noncompetitive retail electric service to a customer who is approved to receive assistance under a specified low-income customer assistance program and to any authorized provider of weatherization or energy efficiency service to a customer approved to receive such assistance under a specified low-income customer assistance program.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 4928.51
- Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
- Competitive retail electric service: means a component of retail electric service that is competitive as provided under division (B) of this section. See Ohio Code 4928.01
- Electric cooperative: means a not-for-profit electric light company that both is or has been financed in whole or in part under the "Rural Electrification Act of 1936" 49 Stat. See Ohio Code 4928.01
- Electric distribution utility: means an electric utility that supplies at least retail electric distribution service. See Ohio Code 4928.01
- Electric utility: means an electric light company that has a certified territory and is engaged on a for-profit basis either in the business of supplying a noncompetitive retail electric service in this state or in the businesses of supplying both a noncompetitive and a competitive retail electric service in this state. See Ohio Code 4928.01
- Low-income customer assistance programs: means the percentage of income payment plan program, the home energy assistance program, the home weatherization assistance program, and the targeted energy efficiency and weatherization program. See Ohio Code 4928.01
- Noncompetitive retail electric service: means a component of retail electric service that is noncompetitive as provided under division (B) of this section. See Ohio Code 4928.01
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(B) Universal service revenues shall include all of the following:
(1) Revenues remitted to the director after collection by an electric distribution utility beginning July 1, 2000, attributable to the collection from customers of the universal service rider prescribed under section 4928.52 of the Revised Code;
(2) Revenues remitted to the director that have been collected by an electric distribution utility beginning July 1, 2000, as customer payments under the percentage of income payment plan program, including revenues remitted under division (C) of this section;
(3) Adequate revenues remitted to the director after collection by a municipal electric utility or electric cooperative in this state not earlier than July 1, 2000, upon the utility’s or cooperative’s decision to participate in the low-income customer assistance programs.
(C)(1) Beginning July 1, 2000, an electric distribution utility shall transfer to the director the right to collect all arrearage payments of a customer for percentage of income payment plan program debt owed to the utility on the day before that date or retain the right to collect that debt but remit to the director all program revenues received by the utility for that customer.
(2) A current or past percentage of income payment plan program customer is relieved of any payment obligation under the percentage of income payment program for any unpaid arrears accrued by the customer under the program as of the effective date of this section if the customer, as determined by the director, meets both of the following criteria:
(a) The customer as of that date has complied with customer payment responsibilities under the program.
(b) The customer is permanently and totally disabled as defined in section 5117.01 of the Revised Code or is sixty-five years of age or older as defined in that section.
(D) The public utilities commission shall complete an audit of each electric utility by July 1, 2000, for the purpose of establishing a baseline for the percentage of income payment plan program component of the low-income assistance programs.