Bill Text: NY S02993 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Requires utility service providers to disclose planned rate increases to consumers within thirty but no less than seven days before a planned price increase takes effect; requires utility providers to provide contact information and a mechanism to cancel service completely.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S02993 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S02993-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2993

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 26, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations

        AN ACT to amend the public service law, the general business law and the
          public  authorities  law,  in  relation  to  requiring utility service
          providers to disclose planned rate increases  to  consumers  within  a
          certain amount of time

          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. Notice of planned rate increase for services. 1. Any gas corpo-
     4  ration, electric corporation, water corporation or  municipality,  steam
     5  corporation  or telephone corporation shall be required to disclose to a
     6  consumer any planned rate increase for services being rendered  to  such
     7  consumer,  within thirty but no less than seven days before such planned
     8  rate increase takes effect.
     9    2. (a) Any notification of a planned rate increase  pursuant  to  this
    10  section shall be communicated to the consumer in a clear and conspicuous
    11  method which is sufficient to alert such consumer that such planned rate
    12  increase is occurring.
    13    (b)  A  consumer shall be notified in a separate communication outside
    14  of any billing  statement  via  phone,  electronic  mail,  letter,  text
    15  message or any combination thereof that includes the following statement
    16  "This  is  a  notification  of  a planned rate increase for the services
    17  currently being rendered".  Inclusion of such notification  as  part  of
    18  any billing statement shall not constitute compliance with this section.
    19    3.  Any  gas  corporation,  electric corporation, water corporation or
    20  municipality, steam corporation or telephone corporation  shall  provide
    21  with  any  notification  of a planned rate increase information on how a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05712-01-3
        S. 2993                             2

     1  consumer can contact the service provider and shall also include a mech-
     2  anism to allow for a consumer to cancel their service altogether.
     3    §  2. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 399-
     4  yyyy to read as follows:
     5    § 399-yyyy. Notice of planned rate increases for  cable  and  internet
     6  services.  1.  Any cable television company or internet service provider
     7  shall be required to disclose to a consumer any  planned  rate  increase
     8  for  services being rendered to such consumer, within thirty but no less
     9  than seven days before such planned rate increase takes effect.
    10    2. (a) Any notification of a planned rate increase  pursuant  to  this
    11  section shall be communicated to the consumer in a clear and conspicuous
    12  method which is sufficient to alert such consumer that such planned rate
    13  increase is occurring.
    14    (b)  A  consumer shall be notified in a separate communication outside
    15  of any billing  statement  via  phone,  electronic  mail,  letter,  text
    16  message or any combination thereof that includes the following statement
    17  "This  is  a  notification  of  a planned rate increase for the services
    18  currently being rendered". Inclusion of such notification as part of any
    19  billing statement shall not constitute compliance with this section.
    20    3. Any cable television company or  internet  service  provider  shall
    21  provide  with any notification of a planned rate increase information on
    22  how a consumer can contact the service provider and shall also include a
    23  mechanism to allow for a consumer to cancel their service altogether.
    24    § 3. Section 1020-cc of the  public  authorities  law  is  amended  by
    25  adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
    26    3.  Service  providers  shall  be subject to the provisions of section
    27  twenty-eight of the public service law.
    28    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    29  it shall have become a law.