Consumer Protection - Telecommunications Service Outage - Automatic Credit (Automatic Telecommunications Service Outage Credit Act)

HB 1562 requires Maryland telecommunications providers (like phone and internet companies) to automatically apply a service disruption credit to affected customers' accounts during outages lasting at least 3 consecutive hours that impact primary service locations. The credit must be at least one day's worth of the customer's recurring monthly service charge, applied without customer action within two billing cycles after service restoration. Violations are treated as unfair trade practices under Maryland law, subject to enforcement under the Consumer Protection Act. This bill directly affects retail customers and telecom providers operating in Maryland.