Access to utility services should be a universal human right. No person should live in fear that utility shutoff may leave them in a dangerous or potentially disastrous situation. This report examines the shortcomings of existing state policies, highlights the disproportionate discriminatory impact utility shutoff policies have on socially vulnerable utility customers, and calls & outlines steps for concrete action toward establishing policies that protect the well-being of all utility customers and the eventual ELIMINATION OF UTILITY DISCONNECTIONS.
These policies and protections include:
There are multiple stakeholders who may have competing interests regarding disconnection policies that must be considered when endeavoring to reform the utility system to solve the problems faced by those who experience utility disconnections. Check out the NAACP’s Report, Lights out in the Cold – Reforming Utility Shutoff Policies as a Human Rights Matter to learn more about the need for uninterrupted service, the complexities of regulating utility disconnection services, and policy & program opportunities for financing to reduce and eliminate disconnections.
