Bill Text: NJ A3501 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Directs CATV companies to provide energy efficient CATV converter boxes to customers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-12-03 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [A3501 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2012-A3501-Introduced.html

ASSEMBLY, No. 3501

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

215th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED DECEMBER 3, 2012

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  L. GRACE SPENCER

District 29 (Essex)

Assemblyman  TIMOTHY J. EUSTACE

District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Directs CATV companies to provide energy efficient CATV converter boxes to customers.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act concerning energy efficient cable television converter boxes and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    As used in this act:

     "Cable television converter box" means an electronic tuning device, often including a descrambler, that allows multichannel video programming and other services offered by cable television companies to be viewed on a television.

     "Energy Star rating" means the rating system developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy for energy efficient appliances, building products, and homes.

 

     2.    a.  Consistent with federal law, every cable television converter box sold or leased by a cable television company doing business in this State to any customer of that company shall have an Energy Star rating of at least 3.0.

     b.    The Board of Public Utilities shall charge a fee against any cable television company that does not comply with the requirement established pursuant to subsection a. of this section for the external cost to a customer that is incurred by the increased electricity demand of the non-efficient converter box.

 

     3.    The board shall require every cable television company doing business in the State to establish a cable television converter box exchange program that informs customers of the availability of energy efficient cable television converter boxes and allows customers to exchange non-efficient cable television converter boxes for cable television converter boxes with an Energy Star rating of at least 3.0.

 

     4.    The board may enact rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

 

     5.    This act shall take effect immediately but shall remain inoperative until the 60th day after the date of enactment.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill requires that cable television ("CATV") converter boxes sold or leased by CATV companies to their customers have a minimum Energy Star rating of 3.0.  The bill requires the Board of Public Utilities ("BPU") to charge a fee against CATV companies that do not comply with the energy efficiency requirements established in the bill for the external cost to ratepayers that is incurred by the increased electricity demand of the non-efficient converter box.  The bill also requires the BPU to require CATV companies doing business in the State to establish a CATV converter box exchange program that informs customers of the availability of energy efficient CATV converter boxes and allows customers to exchange non-efficient CATV boxes for energy efficient CATV converter boxes.

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