Bill Text: NY A01888 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires cable television companies to offer cable television channels on an individual basis; provides that the public service commission be responsible for approving rates.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 4-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-07-13 - held for consideration in corporations, authorities and commissions [A01888 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A01888-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1888 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 17, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CROUCH, ABINANTI, FINCH, HAWLEY, McDONOUGH, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to providing custom- ers the right to choose the stations that they wish to receive 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 2 225-a to read as follows: 3 § 225-a. Cable subscribers right to access. 1. Every cable television 4 company shall provide each subscriber the option to access cable chan- 5 nels on an individual basis. Any cable subscriber shall be provided the 6 ability to determine each cable channel that is delivered to his or her 7 house. A cable company may continue to offer a group of channels as a 8 package deal with a package rate, provided that subscribers are not 9 required to purchase channels as a package. 10 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of section two hundred twenty-five 11 of this article to the contrary, a cable television company may not 12 charge a subscriber for any channel that the subscriber does not choose 13 to purchase. 14 3. All rates charged by cable television companies to subscribers for 15 individual channels shall be first submitted to the public service 16 commission for approval. The public service commission shall ensure that 17 a cable television company does not charge an inflated rate for an indi- 18 vidual channel in an attempt to require subscribers to purchase package 19 deals. The commission shall make a determination. 20 4. Any subscriber who is denied the ability to purchase individual 21 channels by a cable television company may bring an action in his or her 22 own name. Such person shall be entitled to his or her actual damages or 23 five hundred dollars, whichever is greater. In addition to any monetary 24 award, the court shall issue an order requiring the cable television EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02982-01-9A. 1888 2 1 company to comply with the provisions of this section within fifteen 2 days. Failure to comply within the fifteen day period shall constitute a 3 separate offense for which the subscriber may bring another cause of 4 action pursuant to this subdivision. 5 5. For the purposes of this section, a "subscriber" shall mean any 6 person who is currently receiving service from a cable television compa- 7 ny, or who is seeking to receive service from a cable television compa- 8 ny. 9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 10 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the public service 11 commission may implement any rule or regulation necessary to determine 12 the appropriate rate of charge for individual channels or the procedure 13 for submitting such rates to the commission.
