(a)  Every public utility shall file with the public utilities administrator, within a time to be fixed by the administrator, schedules that shall be open to public inspection, showing all rates, tolls, and charges it has established and that are in force at the time for any service performed by it within the state, or for any service in connection therewith or performed by any public utility controlled or operated by it. A copy of so much of the schedules as the administrator shall deem necessary for the use of the public shall be printed in plain type, or typewritten, and kept on file in every station or office of the public utility where payments are made by the consumers or users, open to the public in such form and place as to be readily accessible and conveniently inspected, and as the administrator may order. The administrator may determine and prescribe the form in which the schedules, required by this section to be kept open to the public inspection, shall be prepared and arranged, provided, that with respect to public utilities subject to the federal Interstate Commerce Act, 49 U.S.C. § 501 et seq., so-called, the form of the schedules shall be that as from time to time prescribed by the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 39-3-10

  • Administrator: means the administrator of the division of public utilities and carriers. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-1-2
  • Commission: means the public utilities commission. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-1-2
  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Division: means the division of public utilities and carriers. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-1-2
  • Public utility: means and includes every company that is an electric distribution company and every company operating or doing business in intrastate commerce and in this state as a railroad, street railway, common carrier, gas, liquefied natural gas, water, telephone, telegraph, and pipeline company, and every company owning, leasing, maintaining, managing, or controlling any plant or equipment, or any part of any plant or equipment, within this state for manufacturing, producing, transmitting, distributing, delivering, or furnishing natural or manufactured gas, directly or indirectly, to or for the public, or any cars or equipment employed on, or in connection with, any railroad or street railway for public or general use within this state, or any pipes, mains, poles, wires, conduits, fixtures, through, over, across, under, or along any public highways, parkways, or streets, public lands, waters, or parks for the transmission, transportation, or distribution of gas for sale to the public for light, heat, cooling, or power for providing audio or visual telephonic or telegraphic communication service within this state, or any pond, lake, reservoir, stream, well, or distributing plant or system employed for the distribution of water to the consuming public within this state, including the water supply board of the city of Providence; provided, that, except as provided in § 39-16-9 and in P. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-1-2

(b)  Notwithstanding subsection (a) herein, a public utility may post on its website the rates, tolls, and charges of any retail telecommunications service performed by it within the state for any business customers. Subsection (a) herein shall not apply to any service so posted, and such public utility shall not be required to file with the public utilities administrator or publish any schedule or tariff for such service. Upon written notice to the public utilities administrator, the public utility may withdraw any schedule or tariff previously filed with the administrator for any service so posted.

(c)  Nothing in subsection (b) herein or in § 39-2-5(12) shall derogate from the statutory authority of the commission or of the division, including, but not limited to, the authority to protect ratepayers from unreasonable rates. Nor shall anything in subsection (b) herein or in § 39-2-5(12) derogate from the common law or statutory authority of the attorney general, including, but not limited to, the authority to enforce consumer protection or unfair or deceptive trade practice statutes and regulations.

History of Section.
P.L. 1912, ch. 795, § 48; P.L. 1918, ch. 1651, § 1; G.L. 1923, ch. 253, § 48; G.L. 1938, ch. 122, § 45; P.L. 1949, ch. 2172, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 39-3-10; P.L. 2011, ch. 132, § 2; P.L. 2011, ch. 148, § 2.