- This page, Energy Burden Technical Session (DPU 24-15), is offered by
- Department of Public Utilities
Energy Burden Technical Session (DPU 24-15)
Overview
The Department is conducting its second virtual technical session to discuss matters related to its investigation into Energy Burden and its Phase II Order. The technical session will be an opportunity for the Department to ask stakeholders questions about translation and website accessibility. For more information on the topics to be discussed, please see the Agenda below. For more information on the Energy Burden inquiry and the tiered discount rate, please see the Energy Burden webpage and Department’s File Room linked below.
The public is welcome to observe the proceedings and interested stakeholders are welcome to participate in discussions. The second session will take place on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. For audio-only access to the session, attendees can dial-in at 1 305-224-1968 and then enter Meeting ID# 864 7999 0871. The technical session will be conducted in English and Spanish. For more information, please see the Hearing Officer Memo below.
For any questions regarding the matter, please contact lauren.morris@mass.gov.
Agenda
- Language Translation
- Framework: the Department intends for the translation requirements in D.P.U. 24-15-D to allow for a customer with limited English proficiency to access a tiered discount rate by learning information (via webpages/FAQs, embedded web documents, or bill inserts), submitting an application (via application forms), and confirming enrollment (via enrollment confirmation or other follow-up correspondences).
- Please identify any specific items in the above list that warrant particular consideration or clarification.
- Please describe how the Distribution Companies currently pursue translation services for written text in each context, and whether the Distribution Companies expect that translating any identified items will require resources or capabilities beyond those methods.
- Learning information on the website or via bill inserts:
- [National Grid] Describe the process of implementing the translate feature across all webpages, including cost, timeline, process, and alternatives considered.
- [Other Distribution Companies] Describe any progress each Company has made regarding language translation of webpages.
- Describe whether the Distribution Companies intend to use embedded documents on their website to educate customers about the tiered discount rates, and how translated versions might be made available.
- Describe the current approach to translating bill inserts, and whether that approach may continue for bill inserts developed in the future for educating customers on the tiered discount rate.
- Submitting an application form:
- Discuss whether the Distribution Companies expect to encounter any issues with translating the application form for customers to apply for the tiered discount rate.
- Confirming enrollment via customer-specific direct messaging:
- Describe how the Distribution Companies currently deliver customer-specific messages and the general nature of those messages (e.g., disconnection notices, responses to customer inquiries, etc.)
- Describe whether and how the Distribution Companies offer translation of the customer-specific messages identified above.
- Identify all customer-specific messages the Distribution Companies expect to send regarding the tiered discount rate (e.g., enrollment confirmation, applications requiring additional action, rejected applications, etc.) and whether the methods described above may be suitable for translating the customer-specific messages.
- Framework: the Department intends for the translation requirements in D.P.U. 24-15-D to allow for a customer with limited English proficiency to access a tiered discount rate by learning information (via webpages/FAQs, embedded web documents, or bill inserts), submitting an application (via application forms), and confirming enrollment (via enrollment confirmation or other follow-up correspondences).
- Webpage Accessibility
- Framework: The Department seeks to ensure that all customers can readily access each Distribution Company’s tiered discount rates, tiered discount rates-related webpages, and energy affordability webpage.
- Current state of webpage accessibility:
- Discuss the Distribution Companies’ internal policies for web accessibility.
- Describe the accessibility features the Distribution Companies currently implement on their websites (e.g., text alternatives for non-text content, captions for video content, all functionality is available from a keyboard).
- Describe whether these features are consistent across the website or vary by webpage.
- For Distribution Companies and/or stakeholders with accessibility features on their websites, describe the resources that were required to implement these features and any ongoing costs to maintain these features (e.g., technical costs, staff resources, engagement with a third-party vendor, etc.).
- Future state of webpage accessibility:
- Discuss any feedback from community members and customers regarding the Distribution Companies’ web accessibility.
- Describe whether the Distribution Companies follow or plan to follow an established set of accessibility guidelines (e.g., the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”), or the Principles of Universal Design).
- Discuss the Distribution Companies’ familiarity with WCAG and/or Principles of Universal Design.
- Discuss whether the Distribution Companies have conducted any kind of current state, future state, and gap analysis with respect to web accessibility to determine specific abilities that would need to be built in terms of resources, cost, time, and effort for discount rate and energy affordability webpages (e.g., National Grid’s Help Making Payments webpage) to follow an established set of accessibility guidelines.
- Discuss technical feasibility, estimated costs, and feasible timelines for the Distribution Companies to conduct such a current state, future state, and gap analysis.
- Discuss whether the Distribution Companies will consider employing additional accessibility features in an iterative manner.
- Discuss estimated incremental costs (i.e., technical costs, engagement with a third-party vendor, staff resources) associated with employing WCAG on discount rate and discount rate-related webpages.
- Discuss a feasible timeline for implementing new accessibility features on tiered discount rates and discount rate-related webpages.
- [Distribution Companies] Questions to address since launching the tiered discount rates on November 1, 2026.