West Virginia requires internet and telecom providers to credit customers automatically for outages lasting five days or longer

Original title: Establishing limitations on billing practices of Internet or telecommunications providers that fail to provide subscribed customers service for five or more days

Last action · February 9, 2026: To Energy, Industry, and MiningSponsors: Rick Hillenbrand and 10 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Internet and telecommunications service providers must automatically credit or refund customers for service interruptions lasting 120 continuous hours or more, unless the outage stems from causes outside the provider's reasonable control. The measure prohibits billing customers for unreceived services during extended outages, authorizes the Attorney General to enforce the rules and seek civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation, and requires providers to submit monthly outage and credit data to the Consumer Protection Division.

Why it matters

Subscribed customers regain money paid for unprovided services during prolonged outages, while internet and telecommunications providers face mandatory credit issuance, monthly reporting requirements, and court-assessed civil penalties for billing compliance failures.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

subscribed customers

Subscribed customers automatically receive proportionate account credits or refunds for service interruptions lasting longer than 120 continuous hours.

Directly affected

internet and telecommunications service providers

Internet and telecommunications service providers must issue automatic billing credits, stop billing during extended outages, submit monthly compliance reports, and face potential civil penalties for violations.

Directly affected

Attorney General

The Attorney General enforces compliance, investigates violations, maintains legal actions, and utilizes reported outage data for consumer protection analysis.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What triggers an automatic credit from an internet or telecom provider?

An automatic credit is triggered when service to a subscriber is interrupted for more than five continuous days (120 hours) for reasons within the provider's reasonable control.

Are power outages or cyber-attacks covered under the mandatory credit rules?

No. Large-scale cyber-attacks, critical software or hardware failures, consumer-caused outages, and events are exempt because they are considered outside the provider's reasonable control.

What penalties can a provider face for failing to issue required credits?

The Attorney General may bring an action to recover excessive costs and seek a civil penalty determined by the court between the cost of one month of service and $1,000.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · in Senate committee.

Procedural history

18 actions

Feb 9, 2026SenateCommittee
To Energy, Industry, and Mining
Feb 9, 2026SenateCommittee
To Energy, Industry, and Mining then Government Organization
Feb 9, 2026SenateIntroduced
Introduced in Senate
Feb 6, 2026House
Communicated to Senate
Feb 6, 2026HouseFloor
Passed House (Roll No. 54)
Feb 6, 2026House
Read 3rd time

Show 12 earlier actions

Feb 6, 2026House
On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
Feb 5, 2026House
Read 2nd time
Feb 5, 2026House
On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
Feb 4, 2026House
Read 1st time
Feb 4, 2026House
On 1st reading, Special Calendar
Feb 3, 2026House
Reference dispensed
Feb 3, 2026House
By substitute, do pass, but first to Judiciary
Jan 29, 2026House
Markup Discussion
Jan 16, 2026HouseCommittee
To House Energy and Public Works
Jan 16, 2026HouseIntroduced
Introduced in House
Jan 16, 2026HouseCommittee
To Energy and Public Works then Judiciary
Jan 16, 2026HouseIntroduced
Filed for introduction

Version history

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