Last week, he said CUC submitted a draft of the lifeline rate schedule and criteria to the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission.
The electric base rate increase on June 7 exempts power customers who qualify under the lifeline program, CUC chief financial officer Charles H. Warren said.
He said only consumers using up to 500 kWh are exempted under the program.
On June 7, the commission approved the base rate increase for power — 1.9 percent — that will be imposed on residential customers consuming 500 kWh every month, and 5.1 percent for commercial users of 2,000 kWh in monthly power consumption.
CUC is still awaiting for the commission’s approval.
The commission is giving CUC until today to finalize the guidelines for the lifeline program.
The lifeline rate is applied to low-income customers.
According to the commission, “A residential lifeline customer class is established under the authority of 4 CMC §8141…to which the existing monthly customer charge of $5.06 and the existing $0.016 per kWh usage rate for the first 500 kWh per month shall apply.”
The commission said on or before June 15, CUC will draft and submit lifeline program eligibility standards.
“Residential customers shall be eligible for the lifeline rate effective upon compliance with approved eligibility requirements,” the commission said.
