Directs telecommunications and cable corporations to provide call center service assistance from centers located within the state and such corporations' service areas; includes a list of what services must be provided.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
65
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CAHILL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABBATE,
ABINANTI, ARROYO, BENEDETTO, COLTON, CRESPO, CROUCH, CUSICK, DINOWITZ,
ENGLEBRIGHT, GALEF, GOTTFRIED, GUNTHER, JAFFEE, MAGNARELLI, McDONOUGH,
MONTESANO, PERRY, RAIA, RODRIGUEZ, L. ROSENTHAL, THIELE, ZEBROWSKI --
read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities
and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law and the general business law, in
relation to telecommunications and cable call centers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 65 of the public service law is amended by adding a
2 new subdivision 16 to read as follows:
3 16. (a) Every telecommunication corporation and their subsidiaries
4 furnishing traditional landline telephone service, fiber optic service,
5 voice over internet protocol (VOIP), data circuits, cable or internet
6 services shall provide call center service assistance including, but not
7 limited to operator services, directory assistance bureaus and call
8 completion services for the following:
9 (1) determining customer financial responsibility;
10 (2) taking requests for new or additional services, including, but not
11 limited to, emergency service, completing assistance with dialing, using
12 calling cards, connecting collect calls, busy line verification or relay
13 centers for the hearing impaired, providing requested local and national
14 telephone numbers, reverse number searches and taking requests for and
15 completing the publishing and non-publishing of a telephone number, and
16 providing assistance to payphone customers;
17 (3) determining deposit required or billing rate;
18 (4) preparing installation and repair service orders and obtaining
19 access to subscriber's premises;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01987-01-9
A. 65 2
1 (5) explaining company rates, regulations, policies, procedures,
2 equipment and common practices;
3 (6) investigating trouble order forms and initiating high bill inves-
4 tigations;
5 (7) handling payment and other credit arrangements such as obtaining
6 deposits, financial statements and payment plans; and
7 (8) aiding customers with internal assistance programs.
8 (b) No telecommunication corporation shall close a call center or
9 other facility providing the customer assistance set forth in paragraph
10 (a) of this subdivision or relocate such customer assistance to another
11 area of this state or outside of this state without notice and hearing
12 before the commission. However, at no time shall a telecommunication
13 corporation permanently transfer more than .7 percent of jobs from any
14 call center described above to another area of this state or outside of
15 the state and a valid collective bargaining agreement or employment
16 contract that governs permanent transfer percentages of call center jobs
17 shall supersede the .7 percent job transfer rate described above.
18 (c) This subdivision shall not apply to the collection of debt whereby
19 utility company policy such debt is directed to a collection agency or
20 similar service companies or where the attendance of call center employ-
21 ees is less than ninety percent in any given month, this section shall
22 not apply for the following month. Attendance for this section shall be
23 defined when an employee is expected to report to work as scheduled. If
24 a collective bargaining agreement or employment contract defines attend-
25 ance then that shall supersede the definition above. If attendance falls
26 below ninety percent as a direct result of the corporation then this
27 section shall apply.
28 § 2. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 394-f
29 to read as follows:
30 § 394-f. Cable company call centers. (a) Every cable corporation and
31 their subsidiaries furnishing traditional landline telephone service,
32 fiber optic service, voice over internet protocol (VOIP), data circuits,
33 cable or internet services shall provide call center service assistance
34 including, but not limited to operator services, directory assistance
35 bureaus and call completion services for the following:
36 (1) determining customer financial responsibility;
37 (2) taking requests for new or additional services, including, but not
38 limited to, emergency service, completing assistance with dialing, using
39 calling cards, connecting collect calls, busy line verification or relay
40 centers for the hearing impaired, providing requested local and national
41 telephone numbers, reverse number searches and taking requests for and
42 completing the publishing and non-publishing of a telephone number, and
43 providing assistance to payphone customers;
44 (3) determining deposit required or billing rate;
45 (4) preparing installation and repair service orders and obtaining
46 access to subscriber's premises;
47 (5) explaining company rates, regulations, policies, procedures,
48 equipment and common practices;
49 (6) investigating trouble order forms and initiating high bill inves-
50 tigations;
51 (7) handling payment and other credit arrangements such as obtaining
52 deposits, financial statements and payment plans; and
53 (8) aiding customers with internal assistance programs.
54 (b) No cable corporation shall close a call center or other facility
55 providing the customer assistance set forth in subdivision (a) of this
56 section or relocate such customer assistance to another area of New York
A. 65 3
1 state or outside of this state without notice and hearing before the
2 commission. However, at no time shall a cable corporation permanently
3 transfer more than .7 percent of jobs from any call center described
4 above to another area of this state or outside of the state and a valid
5 collective bargaining agreement or employment contract that governs
6 permanent transfer percentages of call center jobs shall supersede the
7 .7 percent job transfer rate described above.
8 (c) This subdivision shall not apply to the collection of debt whereby
9 utility company policy such debt is directed to a collection agency or
10 similar service companies or where the attendance of call center employ-
11 ees is less than ninety percent in any given month this section shall
12 not apply for the following month. Attendance for this section shall be
13 defined when an employee is expected to report to work as scheduled. If
14 a collective bargaining agreement or employment contract defines attend-
15 ance then that shall supersede the definition above. If attendance falls
16 below ninety percent as a direct result of the corporation then this
17 section shall apply.
18 § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
19 have become a law; provided, however, that the public service commission
20 is immediately authorized and directed to take any and all actions,
21 including but not limited to the promulgation of any rules or regu-
22 lations necessary to implement the provisions of this act on such effec-
23 tive date.