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A03247 Summary:

BILL NOA03247A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S00927-A
 
SPONSORSayegh
 
COSPNSRDickens, Griffin, Montesano, Seawright, DeStefano, Gottfried, Otis, Simon, Galef, Thiele, Santabarbara, Tague, Durso, Lawler
 
MLTSPNSRMiller B
 
Add §119-d, Pub Serv L; add §1020-mm, Pub Auth L; add §399-yyyy, Gen Bus L
 
Requires utility companies maintain a toll free number for consumers to call to report service outages which shall be made available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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A03247 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         3247--A
 
                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 22, 2021
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. SAYEGH, DICKENS, GRIFFIN, MONTESANO, SEAWRIGHT,
          DeSTEFANO, GOTTFRIED, OTIS, SIMON, GALEF, THIELE, SANTABARBARA, TAGUE,
          DURSO, LAWLER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. B. MILLER -- read once
          and referred to the Committee on Consumer Affairs  and  Protection  --
          reported  and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Codes -- reported and
          referred to the Committee on Ways and Means --  committee  discharged,
          bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said
          committee
 
        AN ACT to amend the public service law, the public authorities  law  and
          the  general  business law, in relation to requiring utility companies
          maintain a toll free number for reporting service outages
 
          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  119-d to read as follows:
     3    § 119-d. Toll free number for service outages.    1.  Any  gas  corpo-
     4  ration, electric corporation, gas and electric corporation, water corpo-
     5  ration, steam corporation or a municipality rendering equivalent utility
     6  services  is  required  to  establish,  provide and maintain a toll free
     7  phone number for consumers of such utility to call for reporting service
     8  outages. Such toll free number shall:
     9    a. be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
    10    b. have the capacity to adequately  address  a  surge  in  phone  call
    11  volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions;
    12    c.  be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of the utility
    13  company's website; and
    14    d. be posted clearly and conspicuously  on  the  first  page  of  each
    15  consumer's billing statement.
    16    2.  The  failure  to  comply with the provisions in this section shall
    17  subject any gas corporation,  electric  corporation,  gas  and  electric
    18  corporation,  water  corporation,  steam  corporation  or a municipality
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02590-09-1

        A. 3247--A                          2
 
     1  rendering equivalent utility services to  the  penalties  authorized  in
     2  section twenty-five of this chapter.
     3    3. Any municipality shall have the opportunity to petition the commis-
     4  sion  for  an  exemption  from  the requirements of this section if such
     5  municipality can show that such requirements are unduly burdensome.
     6    § 2. The public authorities law is amended by  adding  a  new  section
     7  1020-mm to read as follows:
     8    §  1020-mm.  Toll  free  number  for  service  outages. 1. The service
     9  provider shall be required to establish, provide  and  maintain  a  toll
    10  free  phone  number  for  consumers  of  service provided by the service
    11  provider to call for reporting service outages. Such  toll  free  number
    12  shall:
    13    (a) be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
    14    (b)  have  the  capacity  to  adequately address a surge in phone call
    15  volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions;
    16    (c) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of the author-
    17  ity's website; and
    18    (d) be posted clearly and conspicuously on  the  first  page  of  each
    19  consumer's billing statement.
    20    2.  The  failure  to  comply with the provisions of this section shall
    21  subject the service provider to  the  penalties  authorized  in  section
    22  twenty-five of the public service law.
    23    §  3.    The  general  business law is amended by adding a new section
    24  399-yyyy to read as follows:
    25    § 399-yyyy. Toll free number for cable television and internet service
    26  outages. 1. Any cable television or internet service provider  rendering
    27  equivalent  utility services is required to establish, provide and main-
    28  tain a toll free phone number for consumers of such utility to call  for
    29  reporting service outages. Such toll free number shall:
    30    (a) be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
    31    (b)  have  the  capacity  to  adequately address a surge in phone call
    32  volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions;
    33    (c) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of  the  cable
    34  television or internet service provider's website; and
    35    (d)  be  posted  clearly  and  conspicuously on the first page of each
    36  consumer's billing statement.
    37    2. The failure to comply with the provisions  in  this  section  shall
    38  subject  any  cable  television  or  internet service provider rendering
    39  equivalent utility services to the penalties authorized in section twen-
    40  ty-five of the public service law.
    41    § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    42  have become a law.
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