476.18 Impermissible charges.
1. Public utilities subject to rate regulation are prohibited from including either directly or indirectly in their charges or rates to customers the costs of lobbying.
2. Legal costs and attorney fees incurred by a public utility subject to rate regulation in an appeal in state or federal court involving the validity of any action of the board shall not be included either directly or indirectly in the public utility’s charges or rates to customers except to the extent that recovery of legal costs and attorney fees is allowed by the board. The board shall allow a public utility to recover reasonable legal costs and attorney fees incurred in the appeal. The board may consider the degree of success of the legal arguments of the public utility in determining the reasonable legal costs and attorney fees to be allowed.
3. a. Public utilities subject to rate regulation are prohibited from including either directly or indirectly in their charges or rates to customers the costs of advertising other than advertising which is required by the board or by other state or federal regulation. However, this subsection does not apply to a utility’s advertising which is deemed by the board to be necessary for the utility’s customers and which is approved by the board.
b. Every ad which is published, broadcast, or otherwise displayed or disseminated to the public by a public utility which is to be charged to the customers of the public utility and which is not required by the board or by other state or federal regulation shall include a statement in the ad that the costs of the ad are being charged to the customers of the public utility. This paragraph does not apply to a utility’s product or service that is or becomes subject to competition as determined by the board.
4. This section does not apply to a rural electric cooperative.
83 Acts, ch 127, §30; 84 Acts, ch 1225, §1; 2011 Acts, ch 25, §143
Structure Iowa Code
Chapter 476 - PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATION
Section 476.1 - Applicability of authority.
Section 476.1A - Applicability of authority — certain electric utilities.
Section 476.1B - Applicability of authority — municipally owned utilities.
Section 476.1C - Applicability of authority — certain gas utilities.
Section 476.1D - Regulation and deregulation of communications services.
Section 476.2 - Board powers and rules — utility’s Iowa office.
Section 476.3 - Complaints — investigation — refunds.
Section 476.4 - Tariffs filed.
Section 476.4A - Exemption from tariff filings for telephone utilities.
Section 476.5 - Adherence to schedules.
Section 476.6A - Alternate energy production facilities — notification requirements.
Section 476.7 - Application by utility for review.
Section 476.8 - Utility charges and service.
Section 476.9 - Accounts rendered to board.
Section 476.10 - Investigations — expense — appropriation.
Section 476.10B - Energy-efficient building.
Section 476.11 - Telephone toll connections.
Section 476.12 - Rehearings before board.
Section 476.13 - Judicial review.
Section 476.14 - Violations stopped.
Section 476.15 - Extent of jurisdiction.
Section 476.16 - Annual report.
Section 476.17 - Peak-load energy conservation.
Section 476.18 - Impermissible charges.
Section 476.19 - Construction of statutes.
Section 476.20 - Disconnection limited — notice — moratorium — deposits.
Section 476.21 - Discrimination prohibited.
Section 476.23 - Electric service conflicts — certificates of authority.
Section 476.24 - Electric utility service area maps.
Section 476.25 - Assigned service areas — electric utilities — legislative policy.
Section 476.26 - Effect of incorporation, annexation, or consolidation.
Section 476.27 - Public utility crossing — railroad rights-of-way.
Section 476.29 - Certificates for providing local telecommunications services.
Section 476.31 - Continuing audit of operation.
Section 476.32 - Review of annual reports.
Section 476.33 - Rules governing hearings.
Section 476.43 - Rates for alternate energy production facilities.
Section 476.44A - Trading of credits.
Section 476.45 - Exemption from excess capacity.
Section 476.46 - Alternate energy revolving loan program.
Section 476.46A - Energy infrastructure revolving loan program.
Section 476.47 - Alternate energy purchase programs.
Section 476.48 - Small wind innovation zone program.
Section 476.49 - Billing methods for distributed generation customers.
Section 476.51 - Civil penalty.
Section 476.52 - Management efficiency.
Section 476.53 - Electric generating and transmission facilities.
Section 476.53A - Renewable electric power generation.
Section 476.54 - Delayed payment charges.
Section 476.55 - Complaint of antitrust activities.
Section 476.56 - Energy costs provided.
Section 476.57 - Limitations on use of ADAD equipment — penalty.
Section 476.62 - Energy-efficient lighting required.
Section 476.63 - Energy efficiency programs.
Section 476.65 - Energy audits.
Section 476.66 - Customer contribution fund.
Section 476.73 - Affiliate records.
Section 476.74 - Affiliate information required to be filed.
Section 476.75 - Audits required.
Section 476.76 - Reorganization defined.
Section 476.77 - Time and standards for review.
Section 476.78 - Cross-subsidization prohibited.
Section 476.79 - Provision of nonutility service.
Section 476.80 - Additional requirements.
Section 476.81 - Audit required.
Section 476.82 - Exemption — energy efficiency.
Section 476.87 - Certification of competitive natural gas providers.
Section 476.91 - Alternative operator services.
Section 476.95A - Annual registration for telecommunications service providers.
Section 476.95B - Applicability of authority.
Section 476.97 - Price regulation.
Section 476.98 - Earnings calculation and report.
Section 476.99 - Additional price regulation plan provisions.
Section 476.100 - Prohibited acts.
Section 476.101 - Local exchange competition.
Section 476.102 - Universal service.
Section 476.103 - Unauthorized change in service — civil penalty.