What's happening
This bill requires New York to identify qualifying assistance programs for telephone Lifeline service and expands eligibility and funding sources.
Why it matters
Broadens Lifeline eligibility. By explicitly listing multiple federal and state assistance programs (such as Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, veteran pensions, school lunch, and several state-specific programs), the bill ensures more low-income New Yorkers automatically qualify for discounted phone service, potentially reaching individuals previously overlooked.
Covers income-based eligibility. The bill requires the state commission to create rules for people who don’t participate in listed assistance programs but still have low incomes, ensuring that those who “fall through the cracks” can still access Lifeline service.
Expands funding sources and responsibilities. Cable companies that provide telephone service in New York will now have to contribute to the “targeted assistance fund,” spreading the financial responsibility for subsidizing Lifeline service beyond traditional telephone companies to include more modern service providers.
Modernizes and stabilizes support. By anchoring funding for Lifeline and related services (like emergency and relay services) in an established, competitively neutral fund, the bill aims to ensure ongoing and equitable support for essential communications services for vulnerable populations.
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Who cares
Telephone corporations receiving federal Lifeline support
Covered providers would have to offer Lifeline service to customers identified through customer or third-party information as participating in, or eligible for, listed assistance programs.
Low-income telephone customers
Participants and eligible applicants in programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and veterans’ pensions would qualify, while consumers outside assistance programs could qualify under income-related criteria set by the Public Service Commission.
Cable television companies providing telephone service
These companies would have to contribute to the targeted assistance fund to help support providers that choose to offer Lifeline service.
Public Service Commission
The commission would have to adopt eligibility and contribution rules and could designate additional assistance programs that qualify participants for Lifeline rates.
Headline styles
Connect Low-Income New Yorkers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 25
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3775
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 30, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC, TITONE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to providing for the identification of federal and state assistance programs which qualify recipients for telephone Lifeline service
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 92-h to read as follows:
§ 92-h. Qualification for telephone Lifeline service. 1. The commission shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with federal laws and regulations, which would require that every telephone corporation offering a retail local service that is defined pursuant to subpart e of part fifty-four of title forty-seven of the code of federal regulations as a Lifeline service and receiving federal universal service support pursuant to such subpart for such service provide such service to all customers who are identified by such company through customer supplied information or through information supplied by a third party as a participant or eligible to be a participant in:
(a) any of the following federal or state assistance programs:
(i) medicaid,
(ii) food stamps,
(iii) supplemental security income,
(iv) low-income home energy assistance,
(v) state family assistance,
(vi) state safety net assistance,
(vii) veteran's disability pension,
(viii) veteran's surviving spouse pension,
(ix) national school lunch program,
(x) state earned income tax credit, or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07585-01-7
A. 3775 2
(xi) child health plus, as a recipient of free or subsidized health coverage, or family health plus; or
(b) such additional federal or state assistance programs as may be designated by the commission as a program that will qualify the participant for such Lifeline rate.
2. The commission shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with federal laws and regulations, establishing eligibility criteria for consumers that are not enrolled in federal or state assistance programs that would qualify such consumers for such Lifeline rate. For the purposes of this section, the commission shall use solely income or other factors directly related to income in determining the eligibility criteria.
3. The commission will also establish rules requiring every cable television company, as defined in section two hundred twelve of this chapter that provides telephone service to customers in New York, to contribute to the targeted assistance fund to help support companies that choose to offer Lifeline service to their customers.
4. For purposes of this section, the "targeted assistance fund" is a fund created in public service commission case 06-02-1998, and was designed by the commission to fund programs such as Lifeline, emergency services (E911), and the Telecommunications Relay Service for the hearing impaired (TRS), on a competitively neutral basis.
§ 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2018.
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.