PSC Commissioner Cautions Retail Suppliers On E-TPVs, New Technologies For Enrollments

During the National Energy Marketers Association's 22nd Annual National Energy Restructuring Conference, Maryland PSC Commissioner Odogwu Obi Linton urged retail suppliers to share new technologies and processes used by suppliers during enrollments with Commissioners, so that Commissioners don't learn of such processes for the first time as the result of customer complaints

Linton said that, in discussing the market with the PSC's consumer affairs division, he recently was shown an "e-TPV" process used by a supplier, in which a mobile device (ipad, etc.) and a digital signature is used to confirm a contract in a door-to-door sale. Linton noted that one of the examples of the e-TPV contracts did not have a customer signature, just two initials, with nothing else on there to identify who signed it or how the contract was accomplished.

Linton said that he doesn't think necessarily there is a problem with e-TPV in general, but cited it as a new concept, and said that suppliers looking to use new solutions should do two things: first, ensure new technologies match the regulations (and to ask questions if there is uncertainty); and second, to introduce the technology to representatives of the Commission, so that Commission representatives can see how it works and so that the PSC isn't seeing the technology for the first time as the result of a customer complaint