Provides for credits for interruption of cable television, internet and telephone service provided through cable or broadband connections

Title of bill

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to providing credits for interruption of cable television, internet and telephone service provided through cable or broadband connections

Purpose or general idea of bill

To require companies providing cable, internet, and telephone services through cable and broadband connections to provide an automatic credit to a customer affected by a service outage lasting more than four hours.

Summary of specific provisions

Adds a new section 231 to the public service law:

- Requires companies providing cable, internet, or telephone services through a cable or broadband connection to credit a subscriber affected by a service outage in excess of four continuous hours, commencing at the time the company becomes aware of the outage; - Requires that where an outage of four continuous hours occurs between the hours of 6:00 am and 12:00 am and the company is able to determine the scope of the outage, the company shall automatically credit each affected subscriber; - Requires that where a company is unable to determine all subscribers affected by a four hour continuous outage, credit shall be give to any eligible subscriber who gives written or oral notification that they were affected within ninety days; - Provides that the minimum credit for a service outage shall be 1/30th times the applicable monthly charge for each twenty-four period during which a continuous four-hour outage occurred, and that all credits shall be applied within two billing cycles, shall be reflected on the billing statement, and that the method of calculation shall be provided on the statement; - Act does not apply to situations where service is interrupted for emergency information as required by the FCC or FEMA; - Act does not apply to outages resulting form nonpayment of an account; Provides a definition for "service outage"; - Act taking effect 120 days after it shall become law, authorizes the Public Service Commission to immediately promulgate rules necessary to implement the act.

Justification

The Public Service Commission currently provides through their rules that a cable television company must provide an automatic credit whenever there is an interruption in service that is not the fault ofthe subscriber. This bill codifies these rules in law and provides the same treatment to subscribers of telephone and internet services provided through cable or broadband connections.

Prior legislative history

None.

Fiscal implications

None are anticipated.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the one hundred and twentieth day after it shall have become a law. Provided, that the public service commission is immediately authorized and directed to take any and all actions, including but not limited to the promulgation of any necessary rules, necessary to fully implement the provisions of this act on its effective date.