Bill Text: NY S05343 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires reports from certain telephone corporations on the quality and availability of line-powered voice services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S05343 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05343-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5343--A
            Cal. No. 529

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      March 2, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations  --  reported  favorably from said committee, ordered to first
          and second report, ordered to a third  reading,  amended  and  ordered
          reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading

        AN  ACT  in  relation to requiring reports from certain telephone corpo-
          rations on the quality and availability of line-powered voice services

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have
     2  the following meanings:
     3    a. "line-powered voice service" means residential voice  service  that
     4  is provided using copper-based facilities that are line-powered; and
     5    b. "covered provider" means a telephone corporation with more than ten
     6  thousand  customers  that has provided line-powered voice service at any
     7  point on or after January 1, 2021.
     8    2. Within sixty days after  the  effective  date  of  this  act,  each
     9  covered  provider  shall  prepare and submit to the department of public
    10  service and the legislature a written report that  shall  make  findings
    11  and recommendations concerning the quality and availability of line-pow-
    12  ered voice services. Without unreasonably exposing customers' personally
    13  identifiable  information  in  a manner that violates the public service
    14  law, department of public service practices or federal law, reports from
    15  such covered provider shall include, but not be limited to  the  follow-
    16  ing:
    17    a. the number of customers who receive line-powered voice services;
    18    b. the number of customers that were notified by the company that they
    19  would  be  switched from line-powered voice service to fiber optic based
    20  service, despite customers' requests to  remain  on  line-powered  voice
    21  service;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09936-02-3
        S. 5343--A                          2

     1    c.  the  number  and  location of service areas where both the company
     2  informed customers that the customer's line-powered voice service  shall
     3  be  discontinued  and  where  customers also did not have the ability to
     4  switch to fiber based service at the time of such notification;
     5    d.  the  number  of  customers who requested or attempted to return to
     6  line-powered voice service  after  being  moved  to  fiber  optic  based
     7  service by the covered provider; and
     8    e.  the  number  of customers receiving line-powered voice service who
     9  were refused quality resolution  or  service  repair  and  were  instead
    10  advised to switch to fiber optic based service for reliable service from
    11  the covered provider.
    12    3.  Each    covered  provider  shall publish on its website the report
    13  required pursuant to subdivision one  of  this  section,  simultaneously
    14  with the submission of such report. The reports shall include the infor-
    15  mation  required  pursuant  to this section in a spreadsheet format. The
    16  department of public service shall provide meaningful opportunities  for
    17  public comment from all persons who will be impacted by the reports. The
    18  public hearings shall also be available virtually.
    19    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.