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Bill

Bill

A 1749

Requires electric, gas, and water public utilities to disseminate outage information to customers through autodialed telephone call, text message, and electronic mail alert service.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Aura Dunn and 2 co-sponsors

New Jersey bill requires utilities to notify customers of outages via phone calls, text messages, and email to ensure critical infrastructure disruptions reach all residents quickly through multiple channels.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · A 1749

Legislative bill overview

Bill A 1749 mandates that New Jersey's electric, gas, and water utilities notify customers of service outages through multiple communication channels: automated phone calls, text messages, and email alerts. The bill ensures redundancy in outage notifications so customers receive timely information through their preferred communication method.

Why is this important

Utility outages can endanger public safety, disrupt essential services, and cause economic losses. Multi-channel notification ensures vulnerable populations (elderly, non-English speakers, those without internet) receive critical outage information. This is particularly vital for water outages, which affect public health and sanitation.

Potential points of contention

  • Implementation costs: Utilities may argue that establishing and maintaining three separate notification systems increases operational expenses, potentially passed to consumers through rate increases
  • Privacy and data security concerns: Mandating collection and use of phone numbers, emails, and addresses raises questions about customer data protection and potential misuse
  • Technical feasibility and reliability: Utilities may question whether they can reliably execute simultaneous multi-channel alerts during major outages when systems are stressed, and what happens when contact information is outdated or incomplete

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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