Public Service Commission working to suspend fees for online payments

The Mississippi Public Commission is working to suspend fees charged for online utility payments, according to a Thursday release.

From the release:

The Mississippi Public Service Commission is coordinating with utility providers under its jurisdiction to temporarily suspend convenience fees for online payments during the COVID-19 outbreak. These providers are Entergy Mississippi, Mississippi Power Company, Atmos Energy, CenterPoint Energy and Spire Gas.

“Suspending these online convenience fees is the right thing to do during this time where social distancing and online payments are encouraged,” Chairman Dane Maxwell said. “We will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation and identify ways we can protect customers.”

“We thanks these utilities for taking measures to help defer costs associated with online bill payments as a means to reduce person-to-person contact,” Central District Commissioner Brent Bailey said. “We encourage everyone to take proper precautions as we work through this health emergency.”

“Little things like temporarily waiving fees for paying bills online help ensure more people pay online when people are staying home and social distancing is encouraged,” Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley said. “It’s also a small gesture to help in this time of economic distress.”

This action comes after an order issued by the Commissioner on March 15 that temporarily suspended utility cutoffs for a period of sixty days to help customers handle the COVID-19 outbreak.