Guam § 12102 - Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights.

§ 12102. Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights.

(a) I Liheslaturan Guåhan finds that the services provided

by Public Utilities are basic necessities that the residents of

COL6/24/2021

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 2004

Guam must receive in order to function in modern life. I

Liheslaturan Guåhan also finds that because residents have very

little choice in purchasing these basic necessities, they are held

captive to the rates and rate increases of the Public Utilities.

Any rate increase therefore diminishes the amount of hard-

earned wages residents have to spend on other basic necessities,

such as food, shelter and clothing, as well as the amount of hard-

earned wages they have to set aside for retirement, college,

emergencies or a family business.

(b) While I Liheslaturan Guåhan recognizes that over a

long period of time, an increase in utility rates is inevitable, such

rate increases must be made out of absolute necessity, and only

after every cost-cutting effort has been made and every other

available option has been exhausted. I Liheslaturan Guåhan

intends to make it clear that it does not want to interfere with the

ability of the Public Utilities Commission to regulate and set

rates for the Public Utilities, but I Liheslaturan Guåhan also

intends to make it abundantly clear that no Public Utility shall

submit a proposal for a rate increase without first giving the

people of Guam more than ample opportunity to exercise their

fundamental rights as ratepayers. Those fundamental rights of

the ratepayers include:

(1) the right to receive clear and adequate notice of

any proposed rate increase;

(2) the right to be fully informed about and to fully

evaluate any proposed rate increase, as well as the finances

of a Public Utility; and

(3) the right to give input and participate in any

proposed rate increase.

It is these basic rights which the Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights

seeks to uphold.