Bill Text: NY S00673 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to service quality standards for copper telephone systems; requires the public service commission to establish a plan to achieve a state of good repair for all copper telephone systems.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S00673 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S00673-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           673
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sens. GALLIVAN, BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and  Tele-
          communications
        AN  ACT  to amend the public service law, in relation to service quality
          standards for copper telephone systems
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Legislative  findings.  The  legislature hereby finds and
     2  declares that copper telephone systems are in a state of  disrepair  due
     3  to  aging equipment and underinvestment by telephone corporations in the
     4  financial and workforce capital needed to ensure the system's high qual-
     5  ity  functioning.  In  2005  the  public  service  commission   severely
     6  curtailed  service  quality penalties, which has led telephone companies
     7  to virtually abandon upkeep of copper telephone systems letting them age
     8  and deteriorate. Copper telephone systems will continue  to  deteriorate
     9  if such issues are not addressed.
    10    Millions  of  New Yorkers rely on the copper telephone system, in many
    11  places with no alternative source of affordable service. Many  customers
    12  are  subject  to  prolonged  service outages, long delays in new service
    13  installation, and frequent instances of  substandard  service.  Further,
    14  many  telephone  companies  lack  the  workforce  necessary  to meet the
    15  system's installation, maintenance and repair needs.
    16    While some communities within the state  are  not  reliant  on  copper
    17  telephone  systems,  many  still  are.  There  are communities that have
    18  access to fiber optic  services  but  significant  portions  of  upstate
    19  including  cities and rural areas and other underserved areas do not. In
    20  many cases the regions which do not have access to fiber optic  services
    21  are  the  same areas suffering from the worst copper service. In most of
    22  these communities, customers face a virtual broadband monopoly  because,
    23  as  the  Staff  Telecommunications  Assessment reported in the summer of
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02855-01-9
        S. 673                              2
     1  2015, fewer than 1% of broadband customers  choose  satellite  as  their
     2  provider  and wireless alternatives are too costly because of data caps.
     3  Thus it is necessary to fix and keep copper telephone  systems  in  good
     4  working  condition  since  many  communities in New York state are still
     5  reliant on them. It is the responsibility of the public service  commis-
     6  sion  to  ensure  that  all telephone corporations maintain their copper
     7  telephone systems in a state of good repair so that all regions  of  New
     8  York  state  have equal access to quality functioning telecommunications
     9  services.
    10    § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to
    11  read as follows:
    12    § 91-b. Service quality standards for copper telephone systems.  1. In
    13  accordance with subdivision one of section ninety-one and section  nine-
    14  ty-eight  of this article, the commission shall require all copper tele-
    15  phone systems to be maintained in a state of good  repair  within  three
    16  years of the effective date of this section.
    17    2.  The  commission  shall establish a plan to achieve a state of good
    18  repair for all copper telephone systems. Such plan  shall  include,  but
    19  shall not be limited to:
    20    (a)  Reinvestment in copper telephone system plants. Such reinvestment
    21  shall include replacing, upgrading, maintaining and repairing  equipment
    22  and maintaining a sufficient workforce to perform required maintenance;
    23    (b)  Maintenance  of  air  pressure  systems.  Such  maintenance shall
    24  include updating air pressure equipment such as transducers,  manifolds,
    25  and dehydrators and cable repairs.  An adequate workforce shall be main-
    26  tained to perform required maintenance on such air pressure systems;
    27    (c)  Creation  of  proactive maintenance crews to ensure all customers
    28  receive quality service; and
    29    (d) Collection and assessment of service quality data. The  commission
    30  shall  then impose service quality penalties for failure to meet service
    31  quality metrics for all consumers.
    32    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.