STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1416
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation  to  establishing  a
          cap  on  the  amount  a subscriber may be charged for leasing a modem,
          remote or other device from a cable television company
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  The public service law is amended by adding a new section
     2  section 231 to read as follows:
     3    § 231. Leasing of equipment. 1. For the purposes of this section,  the
     4  following terms shall have the following meanings:
     5    (a)  "lease"  means  a  contract  or  instrument conveying property to
     6  another for a specified period or for a period determinable at the  will
     7  of either lessor or lessee in consideration of compensation; and
     8    (b)  "modem" means an electronic device that makes possible the trans-
     9  mission of data to or from a computer via telephone  or  other  communi-
    10  cation lines.
    11    2.  No  cable television company shall charge any subscriber an amount
    12  which is more than the actual cost of the modem, remote control  or  any
    13  other device paid for by the company and provided to the subscriber.
    14    3.  A  cable or internet provider shall disclose in an initial billing
    15  correspondence: (a) the amount the equipment costs the company, (b)  how
    16  many  payments  the  subscriber must make on the equipment in total, and
    17  (c) information regarding how or where a subscriber  may  purchase  such
    18  equipment at retail.
    19    4.  No  cable television company shall charge any subscriber a monthly
    20  fee for the lease or use of a new modem, remote control or other  device
    21  beyond  twelve  months  after  such  equipment has been provided by such
    22  cable television company. If a cable  television  company  replaces  the
    23  customer's  existing  modem,  remote  control or other device with a new
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06362-01-9

        A. 1416                             2
     1  modem, remote control or other device during or after such twelve  month
     2  period an additional twelve month period shall commence.
     3    5.  No  cable television company shall charge an additional or monthly
     4  fee for the maintenance of a provided modem,  remote  control  or  other
     5  device.
     6    6.  Whenever  there  shall be a violation of this section, application
     7  may be made by the commission in the name of the people of the state  of
     8  New York to a court or justice having jurisdiction by a special proceed-
     9  ing to issue an injunction, and upon notice to the defendant of not less
    10  than  five  days,  to  enjoin  and  restrain  the  continuance  of  such
    11  violations; and if it shall appear to the satisfaction of the  court  or
    12  justice  that  the  defendant  has,  in  fact, violated this section, an
    13  injunction may be  issued  by  such  court  or  justice,  enjoining  and
    14  restraining  any  further  violation,  without  requiring proof that any
    15  person has, in fact, been injured or damaged thereby.
    16    7. Whenever the court shall determine that a violation of this section
    17  has occurred, the court may impose a civil penalty of not more than five
    18  hundred dollars for each violation.
    19    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.