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To: Editors, News Directors |
Date: July 17, 2002 |
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For: Immediate Release |
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Redesigned, Consumer-Friendly Website Launched Today |
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PHOENIX - Did you ever wonder about utility deposits? Shut off notices? Are you curious about how to check to see if you have a water leak somewhere in your home or yard? These and other frequently asked questions are part of a new, redesigned Utilities Division website launched today. The goal of the project was to make the website more consumer-friendly, provide easy-to-understand answers to common questions and make the site easier to navigate. |
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"The website used to have an awkward mix of information - some of it was helpful to consumer and some of it was geared to the utility industry," said Ernest Johnson, Director of the Utilities Division. "The new design is organized for the consumer by type of utility such as Water, Telecommunications and Natural Gas. Each page also has an 'industry button' so the regulated utilities and their legal representatives can still find everything they need." |
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Each utility category has a Frequently Asked Questions section and a Common Terminology section. Commission staffers worked as a committee to create the Frequently Asked Questions and provide simple, easily understood answers to each question. Since answers to common utility questions are usually found in the Arizona Administrative Code or Arizona Revised Statutes, direct links to the relevant rules or statutes are incorporated into the text of the "plain English" answer. |
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Each section contains quick links to news releases, hearing calendars and open meeting agendas, making the site much easier to navigate. |
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New to the site is information on how a utility customer who encounters a problem can file a complaint or offer public comment. These pages are available in English and Spanish. Another major enhancement is the ability to fill out a complaint form or public comment form on-line and send it as an e-mail attachment. The Telecommunications page even includes a link to an outside website that allows people to compare long-distance rates and phone card rates. |
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"Before the staff began working on our site, they looked at the sites of other utility commissions. Each site had good and bad attributes. The staff took a 'best practices' approach to be sure our new site included the very best of all of the sites but none of the bad features," Commission Chairman Bill Mundell explained. |
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Commissioner Jim Irvin said that the site should be much easier for both consumers and industry professionals to navigate. "Like many websites, ours grew rapidly as more and more people asked us to post information on the site. The staff did a great job of taking that information, reorganizing it and adding new information aimed specifically at utility customers." |
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One of the features appreciated most by Commissioner Marc Spitzer is the on-line complaint filing feature. "I especially like the 'Can We Help You?' section. Having this basic information available in English and Spanish will benefit all utility consumers who need the assistance of the Commission. The site also allows utility customers to offer public comment on pending cases and those pages are offered in both languages as well." |
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"As elected officials, we are accountable to the people of Arizona and are charged with protecting the interests of ratepayers," said Chairman Bill Mundell. "This new site design brings us closer to the ratepayer and gives users practical information that will help them understand utility service as well as the role of the Commission." |
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View the new site by clicking here http://www.cc.state.az.us/utility/index.htm or by accessing the main Commission site at http://www.cc.state.az.us/ and clicking Divisions and then Utilities. |
