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.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A47
SPONSOR: Sayegh TITLE OF BILL:
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
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation would require any gas, electric, gas and electric,
water, steam, telegraph, telephone, cable television company, internet
service provider, or municipality rendering equivalent utility services
to have a 24/7 staffed telephone line for customers to report service
outages.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the public service law by adding a new section 119-d to
the which would require any gas, electric, gas and electric, water,
steam, telegraph, telephone, cable television company, internet service
provider or municipality rendering equivalent utility services to have a
24/7 staffed telephone line for customers to report service outages.
This number must be attended 24/7, have the capacity to adequately
address a surge in phone call volume during an emergency situation or
extreme weather condition, and be posted clearly and conspicuously on
the homepage of the company's website as well as on the bill. This
section also creates penalties for violations of this section as author-
ized in section twenty-five of this chapter.
Section 2 amends the public authorities law by adding a new section
1020-mm which would require any gas, electric, gas and electric, water,
steam, telegraph, telephone, cable television company, internet service
provider or municipality rendering equivalent utility services to have a
24/7 staffed telephone line for customers to report service outages.
This number must be attended 24/7, have the capacity to adequately
address a surge in phone call volume during an emergency situation or
extreme weather condition, and be posted clearly and conspicuously on
the homepage of the company's website as well as on the bill. This
section also creates penalties for violations of this section as author-
ized in section twenty-five of the public service law.
Section 3 amends the general business law by adding a new section
399-yyyy which would require any gas, electric, gas and electric, water,
steam, telegraph, telephone, cable television company, internet service
provider or municipality rendering equivalent utility services to have a
24/7 staffed telephone line for customers to report service outages.
This number must be attended 24/7, have the capacity to adequately
address a surge in phone call volume during an emergency situation or
extreme weather condition, and be posted clearly and conspicuously on
the homepage of the company's website as well as on the bill. This
section also creates penalties for violations of this section as author-
ized in section twenty-five of the public service law.
Section 4 sets the effective date. JUSTIFICATION: Ask any New Yorker
and they will tell you about the frustration they have in reaching a
company when there is a problem. Often the ability to communicate with
this entity is unnecessarily difficult, especially to older New Yorkers.
Public utilities exist to serve the public, and it is imperative that
ratepayers have an ability to communicate with these companies about
service issues that may arise during an emergency situation. To leave
the public without an outlet to be heard is simply unacceptable. This
legislation is simple and straightforward, it is good public policy and
a good business practice to make the ability for customers to be able to
contact their provider when there is a service issue as easy as possi-
ble.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-20: A10999-Referred to Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
2021-22: A3247-Referred to Ways and Means
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
47
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 4, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH, DICKENS, SEAWRIGHT, DeSTEFANO, THIELE,
SANTABARBARA, TAGUE, DURSO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. MILLER --
read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities
and Commissions
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
19 rendering equivalent utility services to the penalties authorized in
20 section twenty-five of this chapter.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01694-01-3
A. 47 2
1 3. Any municipality shall have the opportunity to petition the commis-
2 sion for an exemption from the requirements of this section if such
3 municipality can show that such requirements are unduly burdensome.
4 § 2. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section
5 1020-mm to read as follows:
6 § 1020-mm. Toll free number for service outages. 1. The service
7 provider shall be required to establish, provide and maintain a toll
8 free phone number for consumers of service provided by the service
9 provider to call for reporting service outages. Such toll free number
10 shall:
11 (a) be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
12 (b) have the capacity to adequately address a surge in phone call
13 volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions;
14 (c) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of the author-
15 ity's website; and
16 (d) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the first page of each
17 consumer's billing statement.
18 2. The failure to comply with the provisions of this section shall
19 subject the service provider to the penalties authorized in section
20 twenty-five of the public service law.
21 § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
22 399-yyyy to read as follows:
23 § 399-yyyy. Toll free number for cable television and internet service
24 outages. 1. Any cable television or internet service provider rendering
25 equivalent utility services is required to establish, provide and main-
26 tain a toll free phone number for consumers of such utility to call for
27 reporting service outages. Such toll free number shall:
28 (a) be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
29 (b) have the capacity to adequately address a surge in phone call
30 volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions;
31 (c) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of the cable
32 television or internet service provider's website; and
33 (d) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the first page of each
34 consumer's billing statement.
35 2. The failure to comply with the provisions in this section shall
36 subject any cable television or internet service provider rendering
37 equivalent utility services to the penalties authorized in section twen-
38 ty-five of the public service law.
39 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
40 have become a law.
