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History
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to utility service call centers
Purpose
Requires public utilities to provide certain call center service assistance from centers located within New York State and within the utilities' service area.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Adds a new subdivision 13 to Section 65 of the Public Service Law, to require utilities to provide certain call center services to customers from centers located within the service area of the utility.
Justification
Claiming cost savings and more efficient customer service, many public utilities are considering or are already employing the services of call centers located out-of-state and outside the service area of these companies. While on the outset the above intentions seem reasonable, this strategy is actually a disinvestment in both New York's economy and overall safety.
To have employees who work and reside in communities within the service area of a given public utility, as opposed to workers at a centralized location out-of-state will assure a greater level of responsiveness and a sensitivity to local conditions not possible with remote centralization. Community-based employees have a vested interest in the safety and general well-being of the areas in which they live.
Additionally, relocating call centers outside designated service areas also demonstrates the potential for compromising the timelines of responses to emergency calls and significantly costly billing discrepancies.
Legislative history
2007-08: S.2007/A.606, Veto 138. 2005-06: S.2189/ A.4184, Passed Assembly. 2004: S.6079/A.201.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January in the year next succeeding the year in which it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.