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.
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.