Bill Text: NJ S2046 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Eliminates requirement for CATV companies to provide advance notification of price decreases or addition of channel offerings.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-06-25 - Substituted by A2125 (1R) [S2046 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S2046-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Eliminates requirement for CATV companies to provide advance notification of price decreases or addition of channel offerings.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain cable television price changes and channel offerings, supplementing P.L.1972, c.186 (C.48:5A-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Notwithstanding any law, rule, regulation or order to the contrary, a cable television company shall not be required to provide advance notification to the Office of Cable Television, to the cable television company's subscribers, or to the municipalities in its service area, a. prior to implementing a decrease in the price it charges its subscribers for cable television service, provided that the decrease in price is not due to a change in service, or b. prior to the addition of new channels to the cable television company's channel offerings.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede, or deny a subscriber any rights or protections provided by, the New Jersey consumer fraud act, P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.).
2. This act shall take effect on the 60th day after the date of enactment, but the Board of Public Utilities may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill eliminates the requirement for cable television companies to provide advance notification of price decreases or of an alteration in channel allocation to the Office of Cable Television, the company's subscribers, and to affected municipalities, prior to implementing a price decrease for cable television service, provided that the price decrease is not a result of a change in service.
Under current regulation (N.J.A.C.14:18-3.16) and (N.J.A.C.14:18-3.17), respectively, any cable television company which implements a decrease in its prices for providing cable television service to its subscribers, or which alters channel allocation, is required to provide advance notification of such a price decrease or alteration in channel allocation to the Office of Cable Television, to each of its subscribers, and to each municipality in its service area.
