Bill Text: NY S05548 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires free internet service in households with students who live at or below the poverty level; directs broadband companies to install and/or upgrade broadband services in educational facilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S05548 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05548-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5548

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      March 8, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- 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, in relation to requiring free
          internet service in households with students who live at or below  the
          poverty level

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1.  The article heading of article 11 of  the  public  service
     2  law,  as  added by chapter 83 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as
     3  follows:
     4              PROVISIONS RELATING TO CABLE TELEVISION COMPANIES
     5                       AND INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS
     6    § 2. The public service law is amended by adding  a new section  224-d
     7  to read as follows:
     8    §  224-d.  Internet  service  to students. 1. For the purposes of this
     9  section the term "broadband service" shall  mean  a  mass-market  retail
    10  service  that  provides  the  capability to transmit data to and receive
    11  data from all or substantially all  internet  endpoints,  including  any
    12  capabilities  that  are  incidental  to  and enable the operation of the
    13  communications service, but shall not include dial-up service.
    14    2. Any company that provides  broadband  service  shall  provide  free
    15  internet  service  to  any household in which an elementary or secondary
    16  student resides where the income of such household is at  or  below  the
    17  poverty level as established by local indicators.
    18    3. All companies which provide broadband services in this state shall,
    19  for  free  with  no cost or charge, identify and install, refurbish, and
    20  strengthen  broadband  system/network  connections  in  all  educational
    21  buildings  including,  but  not  limited to, schools, libraries, daycare
    22  centers, and community centers.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03752-01-3
        S. 5548                             2

     1    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
     2  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
     3  ment,  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the imple-
     4  mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized  to  be  made
     5  and completed on or before such effective date.