Provides that municipal broadband service companies are authorized to provide broadband service to tenants in multi-family housing; provides that landlords shall not interfere with the installation of such service, demand or accept payment for allowing the service on the property, or discriminate in rental charges between tenants who receive broadband service and those that don't.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8131
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 1, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to broadband service
in multi-family housing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 228 of the public service law, as added by chapter
2 83 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 228. Landlord-tenant relationship. 1. No landlord shall (a) inter-
4 fere with the installation of cable television facilities or municipal
5 broadband service upon [his] their property or premises, except that a
6 landlord may require:
7 (1) that the installation of cable television facilities or municipal
8 broadband service conform to such reasonable conditions as are necessary
9 to protect the safety, functioning and appearance of the premises, and
10 the convenience and well being of other tenants;
11 (2) that the cable television or municipal broadband service company
12 or the tenant or a combination thereof bear the entire cost of the
13 installation, operation or removal of such facilities; and
14 (3) that the cable television or municipal broadband service company
15 agree to indemnify the landlord for any damage caused by the installa-
16 tion, operation or removal of such facilities.
17 (b) demand or accept payment from any tenant, in any form, in exchange
18 for permitting cable television service or municipal broadband service
19 on or within [his] their property or premises, or from any cable tele-
20 vision or municipal broadband service company in exchange therefor in
21 excess of any amount which the commission shall, by regulation, deter-
22 mine to be reasonable; or
23 (c) discriminate in rental charges or otherwise, between tenants who
24 receive cable television service or municipal broadband service and
25 those who do not.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11579-01-5
A. 8131 2
1 2. Rental agreements and leases executed prior to January first, nine-
2 teen hundred seventy-three may be enforced notwithstanding this section.
3 3. No cable television or municipal broadband service company may
4 enter into any agreement with the owners, lessees or persons controlling
5 or managing buildings served by a cable television or municipal broad-
6 band service company, or do or permit any act, that would have the
7 effect, directly or indirectly of diminishing or interfering with exist-
8 ing rights of any tenant or other occupant of such building to use or
9 avail [himself] themself of master or individual antenna equipment.
10 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
