Bill Text: NY A08110 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Requires telephone companies to provide essential equipment, including voice dialing equipment, to persons with disabilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-05-11 - print number 8110b [A08110 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A08110-Amended.html

---

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        8110--B
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      May 4, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced by M. of A. BENJAMIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CLARK,
         WEISENBERG -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations,
         Authorities  and  Commissions  --  committee discharged, bill amended,
         ordered reprinted as amended and  recommitted  to  said  committee  --
         recommitted  to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commis-
         sions in  accordance  with  Assembly  Rule  3,  sec.  2  --  committee
         discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
         to said committee
       AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to providing tele-
         phone  equipment  with voice dialing functions to certain persons with
         disabilities
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
    2  399-zz-1 to read as follows:
    3    S 399-ZZ-1. RESIDENTIAL VOICE DIALING TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT. 1.  FOR THE
    4  PURPOSES  OF THIS SECTION: (A) "VOICE DIALING TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT" SHALL
    5  MEAN CUSTOMER PREMISES EQUIPMENT SUCH AS  TELEPHONE  HANDSETS,  DESIGNED
    6  FOR  USE  ON  THE  RESIDENTIAL PREMISES OF A VISUALLY-IMPAIRED PERSON TO
    7  ORIGINATE, ROUTE OR TERMINATE A TELEPHONE CALL;
    8    (B) "CONSUMER" OR "PURCHASER" SHALL MEAN: (I) A CERTIFIED VISUALLY-IM-
    9  PAIRED RETAIL CUSTOMER WHO PURCHASES SUCH EQUIPMENT FOR PERSONAL USE  IN
   10  A  PLACE  OF RESIDENCE WHERE THE ADDITION OF SUCH EQUIPMENT IS NECESSARY
   11  TO ENABLE SUCH CONSUMER TO MAKE A TELEPHONE CALL AND THAT (II) MEETS THE
   12  INCOME ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEW YORK LIFELINE PROGRAM; AND
   13    (C) "SELLER" SHALL MEAN ANY RETAILER, DISTRIBUTOR OR MANUFACTURER  WHO
   14  SELLS  OR  OFFERS FOR SALE RESIDENTIAL VOICE DIALING TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT
   15  DIRECTLY TO A CONSUMER OR PURCHASER OR PLACES IN THE CHAIN  OF  DISTRIB-
   16  UTION SUCH EQUIPMENT TO BE ULTIMATELY SOLD TO A CONSUMER.
   17    2.  ANY  MANUFACTURER OF RESIDENTIAL VOICE DIALING TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT
   18  SHALL OFFER FOR SALE SUCH EQUIPMENT TO CONSUMERS,  AS  DEFINED  IN  THIS
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD03912-05-0
       A. 8110--B                          2
    1  SECTION, AT AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED THE ACTUAL COST OF MANUFACTURING THE
    2  EQUIPMENT.
    3    S  2.  Every  telephone  corporation,  as  defined in section 2 of the
    4  public service law, and every cable television company,  as  defined  in
    5  section  212  of  public service law and any other provider of telephone
    6  service that provides telephone service to customers in New  York  state
    7  shall  provide  notice  to  its  customers  that voice dialing telephone
    8  equipment is available from manufacturers at cost.
    9    S 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
   10  it shall have become a law.