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State Moratorium on Utility Disconnections to End July 25th

In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Public Service Commission (PSC) issued an order prohibiting utilities from disconnecting electric, water, and gas service to customers due to non-payment. The Order also included provisions regarding deposits, Deferred Payment Arrangements (DPA), late fees, and customer identification for new services.

At its open meeting on June 11, 2020, the PSC established a timeline to rollback many of the temporary utility service provisions in response to the public health emergency that has been in place since March.

In accordance with the PSC’s action, BRFMU will implement the following provisions and timeline:

  • BRFMU will begin issuing disconnect notices beginning July 15, 2020. BRFMU will begin disconnections on July 27, 2020.
  • BRFMU may begin assessing late fees as of July 15, 2020
  • BRFMU will continue to offer a DPA to any customer who is unable to pay their bill in-full, through August 15, 2020. After August 15, BRFMU may decline to offer a DPA to customers who do not meet the DPA qualification provisions within our tariff, the PSC code, and/or state statutes; and may initiate the disconnection process.
  • BRFMU highly encourages customers with past-due balances to contact the utility immediately to discuss a DPA.
  • BRFMU may begin requiring deposits from new customers as of July 31, 2020
  • Customers who requested and received a new service, but did not provide documentation of residency and identity, will be subject to the disconnection process as of July 25, 2020.
  • Any household who has had a member test positive for COVID-19 will be eligible for a 21-day medical extension. To apply for this extension, the customer must provide BRFMU with documentation of a positive COVID-19 test through a licensed Wisconsin physician’s statement or notice from a public health, social services, or law enforcement official. The statement or notice should specify the period of time during which disconnection will aggravate the circumstances [PSC 113.0301(13)(a)].

If you have any questions, please contact BRFMU at (715) 284-9463.