(a) Whenever a change is proposed to any schedule, excluding addenda and statements, filed with the commission, a notice to the public of such proposed change shall be published once in each week for four successive weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in each county containing territory affected by the proposed change. This notice shall plainly state the changes proposed to be made in the schedule then in force and the time when the change will go into effect.

1. (1) Such publication must be made in a form and manner designed to be seen and understood by the customers affected by the proposed change. It is not required that such publication be made in the legal notice column of such newspapers nor that the complete text of the proposed revisions be shown.
2. (2) Publication must be completed prior to the effective date of the proposed revisions unless the commission shall otherwise order. The public utility shall file with the commission, not more than 15 days after the effective date of the change, proof that such publication has been made.
3. (3) A request that publication be waived is not required to be in any prescribed form, but it must clearly demonstrate the merit of the request.