Bill Text: NY A06199 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Relates to requiring covered entities to publicly report on franchise fees, consumer complaints and denials of requests for service; defines covered entities; provides that the department of public service shall investigate allegations against covered entities upon the written request of 25 customers, the chief executive officer of the municipality or the county legislature of the county served.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A06199 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A06199-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         6199--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      April 3, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee  on  Corporations,  Authorities  and  Commissions   --   committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring covered
          entities to publicly report on franchise fees, consumer complaints and
          denials of requests for service

          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  28 to read as follows:
     3    §  28.  Publication  of  reports.    1.   As used in this section, the
     4  following terms shall have the following meanings:
     5    (a) "covered entities" means a telephone corporation  with  more  than
     6  ten  thousand  customers that has provided line-powered voice service at
     7  any point on or after January first, two thousand twenty-one; and
     8    (b) "line-powered voice service" means residential voice service  that
     9  is provided using copper-based facilities that are line powered.
    10    2.  Within  ninety  days  of  the  effective date of this section, the
    11  department shall direct all covered entities, to report publicly on  its
    12  website or websites all franchise fees paid to the municipality or muni-
    13  cipalities  served, all consumer complaints, and any denials of requests
    14  for service from residents of such municipalities during the term of the
    15  current franchise. Covered entities shall report such information  with-
    16  out unreasonably exposing consumers' personally identifiable information
    17  in  a  manner  that violates public service law, department practice, or
    18  federal law. Such reports shall be updated quarterly.
    19    3. Upon a written request for an investigation into the covered  enti-
    20  ty's compliance with its franchise terms and applicable state and feder-
    21  al  law,  signed  by (a) twenty-five or more customers, or (b) the chief
    22  executive officer of the municipality, or (c) the county legislature  of

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09907-05-3
        A. 6199--A                          2

     1  the  county  within  which  the  system is located, the department shall
     2  conduct an investigation into such allegations contained in a  complaint
     3  letter.
     4    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.