What's happening
This bill requires utility companies to provide in-person customer service and maintain a public outage website.
Why it matters
Directly impacts all New Yorkers who are customers of gas and electric utilities. by mandating in-person customer service representatives for live assistance, which could especially benefit those who struggle with automated phone systems or have limited internet access.
Requires utility companies statewide—including both private corporations and municipal providers—to maintain a real-time, public-facing outage and emergency tracking website. , improving transparency and allowing residents to stay informed during service disruptions.
Represents a significant expansion of customer service obligations. , aiming to increase utility accountability and responsiveness, and may lead to operational changes and possible cost implications for utilities as they adapt to new service and technology requirements.
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Who cares
Utility Customers
People who rely on gas and electric services will benefit from easier access to live, in-person customer service representatives and clearer, real-time information about outages and emergencies.
Consumer Advocates and Watchdog Groups
Organizations focused on utility accountability and consumer rights will care about improved transparency and responsiveness from utilities.
Gas and Electric Utility Companies
These companies must comply with new requirements, potentially incurring costs and operational changes to provide in-person phone support and maintain real-time outage tracking websites.
Emergency Management and Local Governments
Local officials and first responders may rely on more accurate and timely public information about utility outages to coordinate emergency response and inform constituents.
Headline styles
Require In-Person Utility Service
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to energy
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Require In-Person Utility Help
In Senate Committee · Energy And Telecommunications · Sponsor Peter Oberacker
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
11711
IN ASSEMBLY
September 16, 2026
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Manktelow) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring gas and electric corporations provide in-person customer service representatives and maintain a publicly accessible outage and emergency tracking website
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 13 of section 65 of the public service law, as amended by chapter 107 of the laws of 2025, is amended to read as follows:
(a) Every gas corporation or electric corporation furnishing utility services shall provide the following call center customer assistance receiving inquiries by phone or in writing on: customer financial responsibility; receiving requests to initiate or terminate service; receiving requests for emergency services; providing information on outages and emergencies; shared metering; determining deposit required or billing rate; receiving meter and service orders and access to meter requests; explaining company rates, regulations, policies, procedures, and common practices; initiating trouble order forms and high bill investigations; inbound and/or outbound handling of payment and other credit arrangements such as obtaining deposits, financial statements and payment plans; collection assistance inquiries and referring customers to social service agencies and other assistance programs. Such call center shall always have available in-person customer service representatives to receive and respond to inquiries by phone. This paragraph shall not apply to communications between departments to resolve a customer inquiry. For purposes of this section, "collection assistance inquiries" shall not include calls or activities related to the collection of debts that are referred to third-party collection agencies or those involving the direct pursuit of financial recovery on delinquent accounts.
§ 2. Section 66 of the public service law is amended by adding a new subdivision 21-a to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13660-01-5
21-a. Every gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality furnishing utility services shall maintain a public facing website which shall include real-time information on outages and emergencies, the nature of such outages and emergencies, and estimates on when the outages and emergencies will be resolved.
§ 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
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.