DISCOUNTED RATES FOR CERTAIN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, each electric utility and municipally owned utility shall discount charges for electric service provided to a facility of a four-year state university, upper-level institution, Texas State Technical College, or college. (b) The discount is a 20-percent reduction of the utility's base rates that would otherwise be paid under the applicable tariffed rate. (c) An electric or municipally owned utility is exempt from this section if the 20-percent discount results in a reduction equal to more than one percent of the utility's total annual revenues. (d) A municipally owned utility is exempt from this section if the municipally owned utility, on September 1, 1995, discounted base commercial rates for electric service provided to all four-year state universities or colleges in its service area by 20 percent or more. (e) This section does not apply to a rate charged to an institution of higher education by a municipally owned utility that provides a discounted rate to the state for electric services below rates in effect on January 1, 1995, if the discounted rate provides a greater financial discount to the state than is provided to the institution of higher education through the discount provided by this section. (f) An investor-owned electric utility may not recover from residential customers or any other customer class the assigned and allocated costs of serving a state university or college that receives a discount under this section. (g) Each electric utility shall file tariffs with the commission reflecting the discount required under this section. The initial tariff filing is not a rate change for purposes of Subchapter C.