What's happening
This bill requires cable companies to give customers 48-hour notice before scheduled maintenance outages and provide double-value outage credits.
Why it matters
Enhances transparency and preparedness. By requiring cable companies to provide detailed 48-hour advance notice—including what maintenance will involve, its timing, and which services may be affected—customers are better equipped to plan for disruptions and avoid unexpected outages impacting work, school, or personal needs.
Increases financial accountability for service interruptions. The mandated double-value credit for outages means companies must compensate customers with twice the prorated value of the lost service, creating a stronger financial incentive for providers to minimize both the frequency and length of scheduled outages.
Standardizes and clarifies customer rights. The law requires that credits be applied automatically and transparently within two billing cycles, and that billing statements clearly show how credits are calculated—potentially reducing disputes and confusion over compensation for lost service.
Excludes nonpayment-related outages. By specifying that credits and notice requirements do not apply to service interruptions caused by customer nonpayment, the bill targets only company-initiated maintenance, ensuring clarity about when protections apply.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Cable Outage Notices
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2748
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. M. G. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring cable companies to provide notice to their customers of scheduled maintenance
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 231 to read as follows:
§ 231. Notice for service outage for scheduled maintenance. 1. Every cable television company providing cable, internet or telephone services, or any combination thereof, through cable or broadband connection shall provide at least forty-eight hours notice to subscribers affected by any service outage resulting from scheduled maintenance.
2. Such notice may be provided through email, mail, telephone communication or text messaging, but shall include, at a minimum:
(a) what the scheduled maintenance entails;
(b) an estimate of when and the duration of such maintenance; and
(c) what services may be affected by such maintenance.
3. The minimum credit for a service outage shall be equal to two times the value of the service lost. The value of the service lost shall be determined by the average applicable monthly charge divided by the actual time lost. All credits shall be applied to a subscriber's account within two billing cycles after the service outage and shall be reflected on the subscriber's billing statement. The billing statement shall set forth the method by which the credit was calculated.
4. This section shall not apply to any interruption in service that occurs as a result of nonpayment of a previously due account.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred 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 rules, necessary to fully implement the provisions of this act on its effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02723-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.