Bill Text: NY A00675 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Limits robocalls to state residents and requires telephone service providers to offer free call mitigation technology to telephone customers.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 40-14)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A00675 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00675-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         675--A
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. NIOU, ZEBROWSKI, COLTON, RICHARDSON, FITZPATRICK,
          EICHENSTEIN, KIM, ENGLEBRIGHT, FRONTUS, FAHY -- read once and referred
          to  the  Committee  on  Corporations,  Authorities  and Commissions --
          committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
          recommitted to said committee
        AN  ACT  to  amend the public service law, in relation to limiting robo-
          calls to state residents and to require telephone service providers to
          offer free call mitigation technology to telephone customers
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  This act shall be known and may be cited as the "robocall
     2  prevention act".
     3    § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to
     4  read as follows:
     5    § 91-b. Robocalls. 1. As used in this section:
     6    (a) "Robocall" means a call made, including a text message sent:
     7    (i) using equipment that makes a series of calls to  stored  telephone
     8  numbers,  including  numbers  stored  on a list, or to telephone numbers
     9  produced using a random or sequential number  generator,  except  for  a
    10  call  made  using  only  equipment that the caller demonstrates requires
    11  substantial additional human intervention to dial or place a call  after
    12  a human initiates the call or series of calls; or
    13    (ii) using an artificial or prerecorded voice.
    14    (b)  "Call  mitigation technology" means technology that identifies an
    15  incoming call or text message as being, or as probably being, a robocall
    16  and, on that basis, blocks the call or message, diverts it to the called
    17  person's answering system, or otherwise prevents it from being completed
    18  to the called person, except that it permits a call or text  so  identi-
    19  fied  to  be  completed  when  it  is  identified as being made by a law
    20  enforcement or public safety entity, or when it is identified as  origi-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02262-05-9
        A. 675--A                           2
     1  nating from a caller with respect to whom the called person has provided
     2  prior  express  consent  to  receive  such a call or message and has not
     3  revoked that consent.
     4    (c)  "Prior  express  consent"  means  agreement  provided by a called
     5  person to allow the caller to make a robocall  to  the  called  person's
     6  telephone, in relation to the specific subject matter for which the call
     7  is made.
     8    2. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person or entity to make any robo-
     9  call  other  than  a  call  made for emergency purposes or made with the
    10  prior express consent of the called party, to any telephone number owned
    11  by a person or entity in the state. A customer's prior  express  consent
    12  can  be  revoked  by  the customer at any time in any reasonable manner,
    13  regardless of the context in which the owner or user  of  the  telephone
    14  provided consent.
    15    (b)  The  commission  shall  prescribe  regulations  to  implement the
    16  provisions of this subdivision, and may exempt from the requirements  of
    17  this  subdivision,  subject  to  such  conditions  as the commission may
    18  prescribe, calls made to a residential telephone line that are not  made
    19  for a commercial purpose.
    20    3. (a) A telephone service provider that provides telephone service to
    21  customers  residing  in  the state shall make call mitigation technology
    22  available to any such customer,  upon  request,  and  at  no  additional
    23  charge.  Such provider shall also offer to any such customer the ability
    24  to have the provider prevent calls and text messages identified as orig-
    25  inating from a particular person from  being  completed  to  the  called
    26  person, upon request, and at no additional charge.
    27    (b)  The  commission  shall  prescribe  regulations  to  implement the
    28  requirements of this subdivision, including, if appropriate,  a  reason-
    29  able  delay  in requiring implementation and offering of call mitigation
    30  technology  if  for  good  cause,  taking  into  account  the   consumer
    31  protection  purposes  of  this  section,  and  including  procedures for
    32  addressing incidents in which a call wanted by the customer is prevented
    33  from reaching the customer.
    34    4. (a) Whenever there shall be a violation of this section, an  appli-
    35  cation  may be made by the attorney general in the name of the people of
    36  the state of New York to a court or justice having jurisdiction to issue
    37  an injunction, and upon notice to the defendant of not  less  than  five
    38  days,  to enjoin and restrain the continuance of such violations; and if
    39  it shall appear to the satisfaction of the court or  justice,  that  the
    40  defendant  has,  in  fact,  violated  this  section an injunction may be
    41  issued by such court or justice enjoining and  restraining  any  further
    42  violation,  without  requiring  proof that any person has, in fact, been
    43  injured or damaged thereby. In any such proceeding, the court  may  make
    44  allowances  to  the  attorney  general  as  provided in paragraph six of
    45  subdivision (a) of section eighty-three hundred three of the civil prac-
    46  tice law and rules, and direct restitution.  Whenever  the  court  shall
    47  determine  that  a  violation  of  subdivision  two  of this section has
    48  occurred, the court may impose a civil penalty  of  not  more  than  two
    49  thousand  dollars  per call, up to a total of not more than twenty thou-
    50  sand dollars, for calls placed in violation of such subdivision within a
    51  continuous seventy-two hour period. In connection with any such proposed
    52  application, the attorney general is authorized to take proof and make a
    53  determination of the relevant facts and to issue subpoenas in accordance
    54  with the civil practice law and rules.
    55    (b) In addition to the right of action granted to the attorney general
    56  pursuant to this section, any  person  harmed  by  a  violation  of  the
        A. 675--A                           3
     1  provisions  of  subdivision  two  of this section, or of any regulations
     2  promulgated by the commission relating to this  section,  may  bring  an
     3  action in any court of competent jurisdiction:
     4    (i) to enjoin such violation; and/or
     5    (ii)  to  recover  for  actual monetary loss from such violation or to
     6  receive five hundred dollars in damages for such violation, whichever is
     7  greater.
     8    (c) If the court finds  that  the  defendant  willfully  or  knowingly
     9  violated  the provisions of subdivision two of this section or any regu-
    10  lations prescribed hereunder, the court may, in its discretion, increase
    11  the amount of the monetary award to an amount equal  to  not  more  than
    12  three  times  the  amount  available  pursuant  to paragraph (b) of this
    13  subdivision.
    14    (d) No action to recover damages for a violation of the provisions  of
    15  this  section  may  be  brought  more  than four years after the alleged
    16  violation occurred.
    17    § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
    18  have  become  a  law.    Effective  immediately, the addition, amendment
    19  and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
    20  of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made
    21  and completed on or before such effective date.