B. Protection against a standard-offer service provider's failure to provide service as contracted for;

C. Appropriate rate design issues;

D. Retaining averaged prices for all customers in the same class; and

E. Credit, collection and disconnection practices.

By February 15, 1998, the The commission shall provisionally adopt rules establishing terms and conditions for standard-offer service. Rules adopted under this subsection are major substantive routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A.

Sec. 4. 35-A MRSA §3212, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1999, c. 398, Pt. F, §1, is further amended to read:

2. Selection of standard-offer service providers. After terms and conditions for standard-offer service have been established under subsection 1, the commission shall administer a bid process to select a standard-offer service provider for that transmission and distribution utility's service territory. By December 1, 1999, the commission shall review the bid submissions for each transmission and distribution utility and select the standard-offer service provider or providers for that utility's service territory.

A. The commission shall determine the general credit data and specific information from general load and usage data that transmission and distribution utilities must provide to potential standard-offer service bidders, including, but not limited to, monthly demand and energy consumption and the number of customers in each customer class. The commission shall ensure that individual customer confidentiality is preserved in this process and that a transmission and distribution utility releases customer-specific data only with the customer's permission. If the transmission and distribution utility incurs additional costs to develop and produce the required data, the commission shall permit that utility to recover those costs through transmission and distribution rates.

B. The commission shall establish the maximum duration of a standard-offer service contract after considering all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, market