Bill Text: NY A02989 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring telephone corporations, cable television companies, and internet service providers to automatically refund its customers when their service is not working; provides such credit shall be given even when the service is not working for less than a twenty-four hour period.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A02989 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A02989-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2989
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 23, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ROSENTHAL  --  read once and referred to the
          Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to  requiring  cable
          television  companies, internet service providers and telephone corpo-
          rations to automatically refund customers when their systems  are  out
          of  service  or experiencing an outage, or when a customer's equipment
          is not operating correctly
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  The public service law is amended by adding a new section
     2  224-c to read as follows:
     3    § 224-c. Cable refunds. Every cable television company, as defined  in
     4  section  two  hundred twelve of this article that provides cable service
     5  to customers in New York shall automatically credit its customers  bill-
     6  ing statement whenever a cable television system is out of service or is
     7  experiencing an outage or when the customer's cable box is not operating
     8  correctly, for a period of twelve hours or longer.
     9    §  2.  The article heading of article 11 of the public service law, as
    10  added by chapter 83 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
    11                   PROVISIONS RELATING TO CABLE TELEVISION
    12                           AND INTERNET COMPANIES
    13  § 3. Section 212 of the public service law is amended by  adding  a  new
    14  subdivision 15 to read as follows:
    15    15.  "Internet  service  provider"  shall mean any person, business or
    16  organization qualified to do business in this state that provides  indi-
    17  viduals,  corporations, or other entities with the ability to connect to
    18  the internet.
    19    § 4. The public service law is amended by adding a new  section  224-d
    20  to read as follows:
    21    § 224-d. Internet refunds. Every internet service provider, as defined
    22  in  section  two  hundred  twelve of this article that provides internet
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07433-01-7
        A. 2989                             2
     1  service to customers in New York shall automatically credit its  custom-
     2  ers billing statement whenever the internet service is out of service or
     3  is experiencing an outage, for a period of twelve hours or longer.
     4    § 5. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 92-h to
     5  read as follows:
     6    §  92-h. Telephone refunds. Every telephone corporation, as defined in
     7  subdivision seventeen of section two  of  this  chapter,  that  provides
     8  telephone  service  to  customers in New York shall automatically credit
     9  its customers billing statement whenever the telephone service is out of
    10  service or is experiencing an outage, for a period of  twelve  hours  or
    11  longer.
    12    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.