Public Utilities Commission of Nevada | Page 1Public Utilities Commission of Nevada | puc.nv.gov

Produced by the PUCN’s Outreach & Public Information Offices

November 2019 Edition

ConnectionA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM the PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF NEVADA

PUCN

Empower yourself against utility scams Yougetacallsayingyourelectricityorwaterwillbeshutoffunlessyoupayapastduebill.Youmaynotthinkyouhaveapastduebill,butthecallersoundsconvincing,andyoucan’taffordtoignoreit,especiallyifyou’rerunningasmallbusiness. Actually,youcan’taffordtobelieveit.TheFederalTradeCommission(FTC)hasbeenhearingaboutscammersimpersonatingutilitycompaniesinanefforttogetyourmoney.Herearesomewarningsignsofautilityscam:

• If you know you already paid, stop. Evenifthecallerinsistsyouhaveapastduebill.That’sabigredflag.

• Never give out your banking information by email or phone. Utilitycompaniesdon’tdemandbankinginformationbyemailorphone.Andtheywon’teverforceyoutopaybyphoneasyouronlyoption.

• Did the caller demand payment by gift card, cash reload card, wiringmoney or cryptocurrency? Don’tdoit.Legitimatecompaniesdon’tdemandonespecificmethodofpayment.Andtheydon’tgenerallyacceptgiftcards(likeiTunesorAmazon),cashreloadcards(likeMoneyPak,Vanilla,orReloadit),orcryptocurrency(likebitcoin).

Ifyougetacalllikethis,herearethingsyoucando:

• Concernedthatyourbillispastdue?Contacttheutilitycompanydirectlyusingthenumberonyourpaperbilloronthecompany’swebsite.Don’tcallanynumberthecallergaveyou.

• Nevergivebankinginformationoverthephoneunlessyouplacethecalltoanumberyouknowislegitimate.

• TelltheFTC.Yourreportshelpfightthesescams.Andreportittotherealutilitycompany.Ifyoualreadypaid,tellthepaymentprovider–suchasthewiretransferorgiftcardcompany.Youmaynotgetyourmoneyback,butit’simportanttotellthemaboutthescam.

If you spot a scam, report it at ftc.gov/complaint.

Your reports help the FTC and other law enforcement investigate scams and bring crooks to justice.

(Source:consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2018/09/empower-yourself-against-utility-scams)

You Should Know...Privately-ownedelectric,gas,waterandwastewater utilities in Nevada will never email,callorvisityourhomeorbusinesstodemandimmediatepaymentinanyformand/orthreatenimmediateservice

disconnection.

Report Scams...If you believe you have been contacted inperson,byemailoroverthephonebyapersonimpersonatingautility

employee,pleasereporttheactivitytotheutilityandtheFTC.

NV Energy: (702)402-SCAM(775) 834-SCAM

nvenergy.com/safety/protect-yourself/report-scam

Southwest Gas: 877-860-6020

PublicUtilitiesCommissionofNevada|Page2

How long have you been at the PUCN: HiredMarch1,2010,asaPolicyAdvisor.

Prior professional experience:ThePUCNrepresentsmyfirstcareer job after graduate school.

Educational background (high school/colleges attended; degrees obtained):MasterofEnvironmentalManagementfromDukeUniversity.

Get to Know Us: Karen Olesky, Economist, Resource & Market Analysis

requirestheuseofananonymizingbrowsercalledTORtobeaccessed.ThereindividualscanbuySSNs,creditcardnumbers,drugs,guns,counterfeitmoney,stolensubscriptioncredentials,softwarethathelpsyoubreakintootherpeople’scomputers,andcontractforavarietyofillegalservices,allofwhichisdoneanonymously.Thedarkwebhasflourishedbecauseofbitcoin,thecrypto-currencythatenablestwopartiestoconductatrustedtransactionwithoutknowingeachother’sidentity. Although everyone is at risk, thieves most often targetdemographic groups that tend to be more trusting or are lesslikely to monitor their credit reports for signs of identity theft,including seniors, children and active duty members.

PROTECT YOURSELF

Toprotectyourself,NerdWallet.comsuggests:

1. Freeze or lock your credit.Freezingyourcreditwithallthreemajorreportingbureaus-Equifax,ExperianandTransUnion- isfree.Itrestrictsaccesstoyourrecordssonewcreditfilescannotbeopenedunlessyouunfreezeyouraccount.Lockingyourcreditisaneasieralternative,butmayhavelesslegalprotectionthanwithafreeze.Allthreecreditbureausofferasmartphoneappthatallowsyoutolockorunlockyourcredit.

2. Safeguard your Social Security number. Whenaskedforyournumber,askwhyitisneededandhowitwillbeprotected.Don’tcarryyourcardwithyou.Securelystoreorshredpaperworkcontainingyournumber.

3. Strengthen passwords.Randomcombinationsofletters,numbersandspecialcharacters,differentforeachaccount,workbest.Don’trelyonsecurityquestions;yourmother’smaidennameandyourpet’snamearen’thardtofind.

4. Limit how much information you share. Don'tpostyourfullname,birthdateandfamilymembers’namesonsocialmedia.Don’tclickonemaillinksifyoudon’trecognizethesender.Ifyoudorecognizethesender,navigatetothewebsitedirectlyratherthanusinganemaillink.

5. Watch the mail. Haveyourmailheldwhileonvacation.ConsideraUSPS-approvedlockablemailbox.Signupfor

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Describe your current job responsibilities and areas of focus:Reviewpublicutilityfilingsandconducteconomicanalysisofelectricutilityperformance;ratedesigns;mergerandcompetitiveissuereviews;interconnectionagreements;andotherutilitytariffreviews,includingcompliances.Provideinformationregardinginstallationofrenewablefacilities,participationintherenewableportfoliostandardandanyincentiveorsubsidyprogramsavailable.WritebriefingmemostomakerecommendationstotheCommission,andprovidewrittentestimonyasanexpertwitnessandorallydefendtestimonyforproceedingsbeforetheCommission.Areasoffocusarerenewableenergy,electricvehicles,storage,distributedenergyresourcesandresourceplanning.

What aspects of your job do you enjoy most: Providing experttestimony.

Identity theft and the "Dark Web"By Kimberly BurakowskiPUCN Financial Analyst

Unlikeothertypesoftheftwhereyouknowthatsomethinghasbeentakenfromyou,itcouldbedays,weeks,orsometimesevenyears,beforeyoubecomeawarethatyouareavictimofidentitytheft.AccordingtotheCenterforVictimResearch,7-10%oftheU.S.populationarevictimsofidentityfraudeachyear,and21%ofthoseexperiencemultipleincidentsofidentityfraud. A2019FederalTradeCommission(FTC)reportshowsGeorgiahasthehighestpercentageofidentitytheftreportspercapita,with Nevada having the second highest. Americans are significantlymorelikelytobevictimsthananyoneelse.Over791millionidentitieswerestolenintheU.S.in2016.Francewasinsecondplacewith85millionidentitiesstolen. Identitytheftoccurswhensomeoneobtainsyourpersonalinformation,suchasSocialSecuritynumber(SSN),parents’names,birthdate,bankaccountnumbersandcreditcardaccountnumbers,throughstolenwallets,internetphishingscams,databreaches,socialmedia,etc.Theyusetheinformationtomakechargesonyourcreditcards,withdrawmoneyfromyourbankaccounts,orobtainloansinyourname. Mostshockingisthatthievescanpurchasemuchofthisstolendata on the "dark web," which isn't visible to search engines and

Most Common Types of Identify Theft

133,015reportsCreditCardFraud

82,051reportsEmploymentortax-relatedfraud

55,045reportsPhone or utilities fraud

50,517reportsBankfraud

30,034reportsLoanorleasefraud

25,849reportsGovernmentdocumentsorbenefitsfraud

Source:TheFederalTradeCommission's2017ConsumerSentinelNetworkReport

PublicUtilitiesCommissionofNevada|Page3

Identity theft: continued from page 2InformedDeliverythroughtheUSPS,whichgivesyouapreviewofyourmailsoyoucantellifanythingismissing.Don’tassumepast-dueorcollectionsnoticesareinerror;theymaybethefirstsignofidentitytheft.

6. Make liberal use of a shredder.Shredcreditcardorbankstatements,andjunkmaillikepreapprovedcreditoffers.

7. Use caution when shopping in stores. Know where your walletisatalltimes.Donotputyourdebitorcreditcardinacoatpocketfor“justforasecond.”Don’ttellanyoneyourPIN,anddon’tkeepitwithyourcard.

8. Protect your data on mobile devices. • UseapasswordonyourphoneandsetaPIN.• Keepsoftwareupdatedandusehard-to-guesspasswords

andtwo-factoridentificationwhenavailable.Useanauthenticatorappratherthantextstohandletwo-factorauthenticationforfinancial,socialmediaandothersensitiveaccounts.

• TurnoffBluetoothunlessyouareusingit.• WhenusingpublicWi-Fi,othersmayseeyourdata.• Freeappsmaycancontainmalware.

9. Check your credit reports frequently.You’reentitledtoanannualcreditreporteveryyearfromeachofthethreemajorcreditreportingbureaus.Requestonereporteveryfourmonths,soyoucancheckforsuspiciousorincorrectinformationthroughouttheyear.

10. Monitor your financial and medical statements. Readcreditcardandbankstatementsandrecognizeeverycharge,nomatterhowsmall.Knowduedatesandcalltoinvestigateifyoudonotreceiveanexpectedbill.Reviewexplanation-of-benefitsstatementstomakesureyourecognizetheservicesprovidedtoguardagainsthealthcarefraud.Storehealthcarerecordssecurelyandshredpaperworkyounolongerneed.Godirectlytoyourinsurancewebsiteratherthanclickinglinksinemails.Besuspiciousofcallsaskingforpersonalinformationonthepretextofcompletingbillingorfillingaprescription.

REPORT IDENTITY THEFT

ReportidentitythefttotheFTCatIdentityTheft.gov or at 877-438-4338.

Ifyoureportidentitytheftonline,youwillgetanidentitytheftreportandarecoveryplan.Createanaccountonthewebsitetoupdateyourrecoveryplan,trackyourprogress,andreceiveprefilledformletterstosendtocreditors.Ifyoudon'tcreateanaccount,youwon'tbeabletoaccessthereportorletterslater.Ifyoureportidentitytheftbyphone,theFTCwillcollectthedetailsofyoursituation,butitwon'tgiveyouanIDtheftreportorrecoveryplan.

Report your identity theft to your local police if:• Youknowtheidentitythief.• Thethiefusedyournameinapoliceinteraction.• Acreditororanothercompanyrequiresapolicereport.

Report specific types of identity theft to:• Medical Identity Theft - Medicare’sfraudoffice.• Tax Identity Theft - InternalRevenueService.

You can also report identity theft to:• Credit Reporting Agencies - Contact one of the three

majorcreditreportingagenciestoplacefraudalertsorfreezesonyouraccounts.Getacopyofyourcreditreporttobesurenoonehastriedtoopencreditaccountswithyourpersonalinformation.Confirmthatthecreditreportingagencywillalerttheothertwocreditreportingagencies.

• National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center - Reportcasesofidentitytheftthatresultedfromastayinanursinghomeorlong-termcarefacility.

• Financial Institutions - Contactthefrauddepartmentatyourbank,creditcardissuersandanyotherplaceswhereyouhaveaccounts.

• Retailers and Other Companies - Reportthecrimetocompanieswheretheidentitythiefopenedcreditaccountsorevenappliedforjobs.

• State Consumer Protection Offices or Attorney General -Somestatesofferresourcestohelpyoucontactcreditorsanddisputeerrors.

• Get new vital records or identification cards.Learnhowtoreplaceyourvitalidentificationdocuments after identity theft at usa.gov/replace-vital-documents.

Dockets Opened at the PUCN in October 2019Visitpuc.nv.gov/Dockets/Dockets/toviewdocumentsfiledinthedocketslistedbelow.

Docket # Date Filed Description

19-10001 10/01/2019 ApplicationofSouthwestGasCorporationforauthoritytorecovercostsofgasinfrastructurereplacementprojectsthroughthegasinfrastructurereplacementmechanism.

19-10002 10/01/2019 JointPetitionofNevadaPowerCompanyd/b/aNVEnergyandSierraPacificPowerCompanyd/b/aNVEnergyforapprovaloftheirEnergyStorageDeviceDataandMeteringReportpursuanttotheOrderissuedinDocketNos.17-06014and17-06015.

19-10003 10/03/2019 RegistrationofMintMobileLLCasacommercialmobileradioserviceprovider.

19-10004 10/07/2019 NoticebyArrowCanyonSolar,LLC,undertheprovisionsoftheUtilityEnvironmentalProtectionAct,ofanapplicationtoafederalagencyforapprovaltoconstructa200MWphotovoltaicsolarenergygenerationfacility,generation-tietransmissionlines,andassociatedfacilitiestobelocatedapproximately25milesnortheastofLasVegasinClarkCounty,Nevada.

19-10005 10/07/2019 PetitionoftheRegulatoryOperationsStaffforanordertoappearandshowcausewhyCertificatesofPublicConvenienceandNecessity,Licenses,orPermitsshouldnotberevoked,whyadministrativefinesshouldnotbeimposed,and/orwhyadministrativeactionshouldnotbetakenoncertaincompaniesthathavenottimelymettheirregulatoryobligationsforcalendaryear2018and/ortheperiodJuly1,2018,throughJune30,2019.

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PublicUtilitiesCommissionofNevada|Page4

Prior editions of PUCN Connection are available at puc.nv.gov/About/Media_Outreach/PUCN_Connection/.Forquestionsorcommentsaboutthisnewsletter,contactConsumerOutreachDirectorDawnRivardatdrivard@puc.nv.gov or

Communications Director Peter Kostes at pkostes@puc.nv.gov.

Docket # Date Filed Description

19-10006 10/07/2019 ApplicationofNevadaPowerCompanyd/b/aNVEnergyforauthoritytoestablishdebtissuanceauthorizationsbasedonadebtceilingof$3,200.0million.

19-10007 10/08/2019 ApplicationofNevadaBellTelephoneCompanyd/b/aAT&TNevadaandAT&TWholesaletovoluntarilyrelinquishdesignationasaneligibletelecommunicationscarrierintheStateofNevada.

19-10008 10/11/2019 ApplicationofSafelinkInternetLLCforauthoritytooperateasacompetitivesupplieroftelecommunicationservicewithintheStateofNevada.

19-10009 10/14/2019 JointPetitionoftheRegulatoryOperationsStaffandTerraContracting,Inc.("TerraContracting")requestingtheCommissionacceptastipulationregardingviolationsofNevada’sOneCallLawbyTerraContracting.

19-10010 10/16/2019 NoticebyFatbeam,LLC,FatbeamHoldings,LLC,andSDCCapitalPartners,LLCofatransactionthatwillresultinatransferofcontrolofatelecommunicationcompany.

19-10011 10/16/2019 ApplicationofNevadaPowerCompanyd/b/aNVEnergy,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.496,toreviseTariffNo.1-BtoimplementMarketPriceEnergyScheduleNo.MPEtoalloweligiblecustomerstoreceivebundledelectricservice,reflectingmarketpriceofenergy,usingenergyresourcesthatwillnotsubjectthecustomertotheimpositionofanimpactfee.

19-10012 10/16/2019 ApplicationofNevadaPowerCompanyd/b/aNVEnergyforapprovalofanEnergySupplyAgreementwithLVStadiumEventsCompany,LLCandLVRRealProperty,LLC.

19-10013 10/15/2019 ApplicationofCitizensTelecommunicationsCompanyofNevadad/b/aFrontierCommunicationsofNevada,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.NV-19-10,fortheElkoDivisiontoreviseTariffNo.1-BtoreducetheFederalLifelinediscountforLifelinecustomerswhodonotsubscribetoaLifelineeligiblebroadbandproductpursuanttoFederalCommunicationsCommissionDocketNo.FCC16-38.

19-10014 10/15/2019 ApplicationofCitizensTelecommunicationsCompanyofNevadad/b/aFrontierCommunicationsofNevada,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.NV-19-11,fortheTonopahDivisiontoreviseTariffNo.1-BtoreducetheFederalLifelinediscountforLifelinecustomerswhodonotsubscribetoaLifelineeligiblebroadbandproductpursuanttoFederalCommunicationsCommissionDocketNo.FCC16-38.

19-10015 10/17/2019 ApplicationofCentralTelephoneCompanyd/b/aCenturyLink,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.19-13,toreviseitsGuidebooktoreducetheFederalLifelinecreditwhenthecreditisappliedtowardaqualifyingvoiceserviceandtoaddclarifyinglanguageregardingqualifyingservicespursuanttoFederalCommunicationsCommissionDocketNo.FCC16-38.

19-10016 10/17/2019 ApplicationofCenturyTeloftheGemState,Inc.d/b/aCenturyLink,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.19-13,toreviseTariffNo.1AtoreducetheFederalLifelinecreditwhenthecreditisappliedtowardaqualifyingvoiceserviceandtoaddclarifyinglanguageregardingqualifyingservicespursuanttoFederalCommunicationsCommissionDocketNo.FCC16-38.

19-10017 10/18/2019 NoticebyFrontierCommunicationsoftheSouthwestInc.ofServiceCatalogupdatestoincluderateincreasestocertainDirectoryListingratesandtomodifylanguageregardingnonrecurringchargesforFrontierDigitalPhoneUnlimitedbundles.

19-10018 10/18/2019 ApplicationofSierraPacificPowerCompanyd/b/aNVEnergy,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.621-E,toreviseElectricTariffNo.2tocancelScheduleNos.LCSPP86andLCSPP87.

19-10019 10/18/2019 FilingbySparkEnergyGas,LLCofupdatedcorporateofficerlisting.

19-10020 10/21/2019 ApplicationofDigitalTechnologySolutions,Inc.forauthoritytooperateasacompetitivesupplieroftelecommunicationservicewithintheStateofNevada.

19-10021 10/22/2019 ApplicationofNevadaBellTelephoneCompanyd/b/aAT&TNevadaandAT&TWholesale,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.2066,toreviseitsGuidebooktoreducetheFederalLifelinediscountforLifelinecustomerspursuanttoFederalCommunicationsCommissionDocketNo.FCC16-38andtomodifylanguagetoimprovereadability.

19-10022 10/23/2019 JointPetitionoftheRegulatoryOperationsStaffandRLOEquipment,Inc.d/b/aApacheElectric("ApacheElectric")requestingtheCommissionacceptastipulationregardingviolationsofNevada’sOneCallLawbyApacheElectric.

19-10023 10/24/2019 JointPetitionoftheRegulatoryOperationsStaffandGradexConstructionCompany("GradexConstruction")requestingtheCommissionacceptastipulationregardingviolationsofNevada’sOneCallLawbyGradexConstruction.

19-10024 10/28/2019 PetitionofACTCommodities,Inc.foranAdvisoryOpinionorDeclaratoryOrderastowhetheraDemandSideManagementCreditmaybeusedforcompliancepurposes,pursuanttoNRS704.7821,byanentitythatisdifferentfromtheentitythatoriginallygeneratedthecredit.

19-10025 10/28/2019 ApplicationofMoapaValleyTelephoneCompany,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.20,toreviseTariffNo.2AtoreducetheFederalLifelinediscountforLifelinecustomerspursuanttoFederalCommunicationsCommissionDocketNo.FCC16-38.

19-10026 10/28/2019 ApplicationofLincolnCountyTelephoneSystem,Inc.,filedunderAdviceLetterNo.22,toreviseTariffNo.1AtoreducetheFederalLifelinediscountforLifelinecustomerspursuanttoFederalCommunicationsCommissionDocketNo.FCC16-38.

19-10027 10/31/2019 Applicationof325MK8meLLC,undertheprovisionsoftheUtilityEnvironmentalProtectionAct,forapermittoconstructtheEagleShadowMountainInterconnectionFacilitiesconsistingofa230kVterminaladditionandassociatedfacilitieswithintheReidGardnerSubstationlocatedinClarkCounty,Nevada.

19-10029 10/31/2019 NoticebyGreatBasinWaterCo.ofitsintenttofileanapplicationforadjustmentinratesforitsPahrumpDivision.

19-10030 10/31/2019 NoticebyGreatBasinWaterCo.ofitsintenttofileanapplicationforadjustmentinratesforitsSpringCreekDivision.

Dockets: continued from page 3