20-7-102. HEARING BY COMMISSION ON PROPOSED CHANGE OF RATES.

Whenever a notice or any schedule stating an individual or joint rate, classification, contract, practice, rule, or regulation, increasing or decreasing or resulting in an increase or decrease in any rate, classification, contract, practice, rule or regulation, provided that the period of suspension thereof shall not extend more than 11 months beyond the time when such change otherwise would go into effect. Upon complaint or upon its own initiative without complaint, the Commission may order a hearing, upon due notice, concerning the propriety of such rate, classification, contract, practice, rule or regulation. On such hearing, the Commission shall establish the rates, classifications, contracts, practices, rules, or regulations proposes, in whole or in part, or others in lieu thereof, which it shall find to be just and reasonable. At any such hearing, the burden to show that the increased rate or proposed change of rate, classification, regulation, rule or practice is just and reasonable shall be upon the electric utility making application therefore. All such rates, classifications, contracts, practices, rules, or regulations not so suspended, on the expiration of 30 days after filing the same with the Commission, or of such lesser time as the Commission may grant, shall go in effect and be the established and effective rates, classifications, contracts, practices, rules and regulations, subject to the power of the Commission, after a hearing had on its own motion or upon complaint, to alter or modify them.

Any utility may, at its own expense, notify customers of the date and place of a rate change hearing.