Bill Text: NY A03990 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to instituting internet service neutrality; provides the public service commission with jurisdiction over monitoring broadband internet service providers; requires a certification for internet service neutrality in certain state contracts.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 21-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to people with disabilities [A03990 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A03990-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          3990

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 8, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. FAHY, BARRETT, MAGNARELLI, SIMONE, THIELE, SANTA-
          BARBARA,  LUPARDO,  GLICK, COLTON, SEAWRIGHT, DINOWITZ, VANEL, STIRPE,
          STECK, D. ROSENTHAL, WALLACE, TAYLOR, CARROLL,  DE LOS SANTOS,  REYES,
          JACOBSON  --  read  once  and referred to the Committee on People with
          Disabilities

        AN ACT to amend the public service law and the  state  finance  law,  in
          relation to instituting internet service neutrality

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The article heading of article 11  of  the  public  service
     2  law,  as  added by chapter 83 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as
     3  follows:
     4       PROVISIONS RELATING TO CABLE TELEVISION COMPANIES AND BROADBAND
     5                         INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS
     6    § 2. Section 212 of the public service law is amended  by  adding  two
     7  new subdivisions 15 and 16 to read as follows:
     8    15.  "Broadband  internet  access  service"  shall  mean a mass-market
     9  retail service that provides the capability  to  transmit  data  to  and
    10  receive data from all or substantially all internet endpoints, including
    11  any  capabilities that are incidental to and enable the operation of the
    12  communications service, but shall not include  dial-up  internet  access
    13  service.
    14    16. "Broadband internet service provider" shall mean any person, busi-
    15  ness  or  organization qualified to do business in this state, including
    16  municipal broadband providers, that provides individuals,  corporations,
    17  or other entities with broadband internet access service.
    18    §  3. The section heading of section 215 of the public service law, as
    19  added by chapter 83 of the laws of 1995, is amended and a  new  subdivi-
    20  sion 14 is added to read as follows:
    21    Duties  of the commission in respect to cable television companies and
    22  broadband internet service providers.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04060-01-3
        A. 3990                             2

     1    14. Develop and maintain a statewide plan for the monitoring of broad-
     2  band internet service providers, including the annual certification that
     3  broadband internet service providers comply with  the  internet  service
     4  neutrality requirements established in section two hundred thirty-one of
     5  this article.
     6    §  4.  The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 149 to
     7  read as follows:
     8    § 149. Internet service neutrality requirements in certain procurement
     9  contracts. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to  the  contrary,
    10  where  a contract that includes broadband internet access services is to
    11  be awarded by a state agency as defined in section one hundred sixty  of
    12  this  chapter  or any state or local authority as such terms are defined
    13  in section two of  public  authorities  law,  municipal  corporation  as
    14  defined  in  section two of the general municipal law, public library or
    15  association library, as such terms are defined in  section  two  hundred
    16  fifty-three  of  the  education  law,  the legislature, judiciary, state
    17  university of New York, or city university of New  York  pursuant  to  a
    18  competitive  bidding  process  or  a  request for proposal process, such
    19  competitive bidding process or request for proposal and  the  subsequent
    20  awarded  contract  shall  require  that  such  broadcast internet access
    21  services are compliant with the internet service neutrality requirements
    22  established in section two hundred thirty-one of the public service law.
    23  Provided, however, the entity awarding  such  contract  may  award  such
    24  contract  to  any broadband internet service provider that is not certi-
    25  fied by the public service commission pursuant  to  subdivision  two  of
    26  section  two  hundred  thirty-one of the public service law only if such
    27  entity demonstrates to the public service  commission  that  either  (i)
    28  there  are  no  other  broadband internet service providers available to
    29  contract with, or (ii) awarding such contract to a  certified  broadband
    30  internet  service provider would result in a significant financial hard-
    31  ship when compared to awarding the  contract  to  a  broadband  internet
    32  service provider not certified by the public service commission.
    33    §  5. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 231 to
    34  read as follows:
    35    § 231. Internet service neutrality. 1. For purposes of  this  section,
    36  "network management practice" shall mean a practice that has a primarily
    37  technical  network  management justification, but does not include other
    38  business practices. A "reasonable  network  management  practice"  shall
    39  mean  a  network  management  practice  that  is  primarily used for and
    40  tailored to achieving a legitimate network  management  purpose,  taking
    41  into  account  the particular network architecture and technology of the
    42  broadband internet access service.
    43    2. The commission shall certify annually that any  broadband  internet
    44  service provider qualified to do business in this state, does not:
    45    (a)  block  lawful  content,  applications,  services,  or non-harmful
    46  devices, subject to reasonable network management.
    47    (b) impair or degrade lawful internet traffic on the basis of internet
    48  content, application, or  service,  or  use  of  a  non-harmful  device,
    49  subject to reasonable network management.
    50    (c)  engage  in  paid  prioritization,  including, but not limited to,
    51  traffic shaping, prioritization, resource reservation, or other forms of
    52  preferential traffic management, either (i) in exchange for any form  of
    53  consideration from a third party, or (ii) to benefit an affiliated enti-
    54  ty, unless the broadband internet service provider demonstrates that the
    55  practice  would  provide a significant public interest benefit and would
    56  not harm the open nature of the internet.
        A. 3990                             3

     1    3. The commission shall annually  prepare  a  report  that  lists  the
     2  certification status for every broadband internet service provider qual-
     3  ified  to  do  business in this state. Such report shall be published on
     4  the commission's website and updated at least annually.  The  commission
     5  shall  notify  the  governor, the temporary president of the senate, and
     6  the speaker of the assembly of the publication of such  report  and  any
     7  updates.
     8    § 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
     9  it shall have become a law.