RETAIL CUSTOMER RIGHT OF CHOICE.

(a) If an electric cooperative chooses to participate in customer choice, after that choice, all retail customers within the certificated service area of the electric cooperative shall have the right of customer choice, and the electric cooperative shall provide nondiscriminatory open access for retail service.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 39.107, the metering function may not be deemed a competitive service for customers of the electric cooperative within that service area and may, at the option of the electric cooperative, continue to be offered by the electric cooperative as sole provider.

(c) On its initiation of customer choice, an electric cooperative shall designate itself or another entity as the provider of last resort for retail customers within the electric cooperative's certificated service area and shall fulfill the role of default provider of last resort in the event no other entity is available to act in that capacity.

(d) If a retail electric provider fails to serve a customer described in Subsection (c), on request by the customer, the provider of last resort shall offer the customer the standard retail service package for the appropriate customer class, with no interruption of service, at a fixed, nondiscountable rate that is at least sufficient to cover the reasonable costs of providing that service, as approved by the board of directors.

(e) The board of directors may establish the procedures and criteria for designating the provider of last resort and may redesignate the provider of last resort according to a schedule it considers appropriate.