PSC Task Force Takes Step Back From Standardizing Utility Outage Notifications 

A state task force focused on how utility and cable outages are announced to the public released its final report last week. 

Earlier this year the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) initiated the task force to standardize how customers are notified of utility and cable service outages. The task force reached out to service providers including Hope Gas, Inc., Morgantown Utility Board and Frontier West Virginia Inc. to explain how they notify their affected customers of service outages and what plans they have to expand, modify or improve their current notification systems.

Currently each utility and cable service provider has different procedures for notifying their customers of outages including e-mails, text messages, website, and/or social media posts.

In its final report published last week, the task force said “appropriate outage communications should be an essential part of any public utility or cable TV provider’s marketing and communications,” but also acknowledged that there cannot be a one size fits all solution to notification among the different public utility and cable TV industries.

The task force recommended that each utility be directed to develop, maintain, and submit its own outage notification plan to the commission. Recommended best practices for the outage notification plans include maintaining and updating contact information for customers and sharing outage information on multiple platforms with an emphasis on social media.