Bill Text: NY A01064 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes investigation, hearing and determination procedures for the public service commission with respect to the creation of new area codes; appoints administrative law judge to decide the need for additional area codes; provides possible alternatives.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2010-01-06 - ordered to third reading cal.95 [A01064 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A01064-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1064
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 7, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. DESTITO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
         tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
       AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to the establishment
         of investigation, hearing and determination procedures with respect to
         the creation of new area codes
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Legislative  findings  and  intent.  Telephone  numbering
    2  resources are limited and at times it may be necessary, as more  numbers
    3  and  local  exchange  codes are utilized, to create new area codes. Area
    4  code changes are a major burden because new area codes  cause  confusion
    5  to  callers  and potential safety issues when hospitals, ambulances, and
    6  public health and safety institutions are required to change their tele-
    7  phone numbers; the records for E911, which  include  telephone  numbers,
    8  need  to be changed when area codes change; errors in record changes can
    9  result in serious health, safety, and welfare concerns; and the accuracy
   10  of telephone numbers is a security issue if contacts are  not  reachable
   11  because of outdated area codes on old contact lists.
   12    The  legislature finds that businesses suffer economic harm when their
   13  area codes are changed  if  they  are  required  to  advertise  the  new
   14  numbers,  contact  existing customers, and revise all stationery showing
   15  their new telephone number, and they  face  the  possibility  of  losing
   16  business  during  area code transition periods when customers use an old
   17  number.
   18    The legislature further finds that  greater  regulatory  vigilance  is
   19  needed  to  ensure that numbers or exchange codes do not become unneces-
   20  sarily stranded due to inadvertent  oversupply  of  numbering  resources
   21  where they are not really needed.
   22    S 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 96-a to
   23  read as follows:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD03879-01-9
       A. 1064                             2
    1    S  96-A.  INVESTIGATION,  HEARING, AND DETERMINATIONS REGARDING NUMBER
    2  CONSERVATION, NUMBER RESOURCE RECLAMATION, AND CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNA-
    3  TIVES PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION  OF  NEW  AREA  CODES.  1.  IT  IS  HEREBY
    4  DECLARED  TO  BE  THE  POLICY  OF  THE  STATE, AND IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH,
    5  WELFARE,  AND  PUBLIC INTEREST, TO AVOID UNNECESSARY TELEPHONE AREA CODE
    6  CHANGES THROUGH CONSERVATION OF NUMBERING RESOURCES AND  RECLAMATION  OF
    7  UNDERUTILIZED NUMBERING RESOURCES.
    8    2.  THE COMMISSION SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS FOR CONSERVATION OF NUMBER-
    9  ING RESOURCES AND FOR RECLAMATION OF UNDERUTILIZED NUMBERING RESOURCES.
   10    3. PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTING ANY NEW AREA CODE, THE COMMISSION SHALL:
   11    A. CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER  NUMBER  CONSERVATION
   12  POLICIES  AND RULES HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED, WHETHER FOR ANY REASON NUMBERING
   13  RESOURCES ARE OVERSUPPLIED IN ANY AREAS WHERE THEY ARE NOT  REQUIRED  TO
   14  MEET  LOCAL  NEEDS, AND IDENTIFY ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING WHETHER REALLO-
   15  CATION AND RECLAMATION OF NUMBERING RESOURCES, INCLUDING EXCHANGE CODES,
   16  COULD MEET NEEDS WITH LESS COST AND INCONVENIENCE THAN CREATION OF A NEW
   17  AREA CODE.
   18    B. APPOINT AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW  JUDGE  TO  HOLD  PUBLIC  EVIDENTIARY
   19  HEARINGS,  HEAR  EVIDENCE  REGARDING  THE  NEED FOR A NEW AREA CODE, ANY
   20  OVERSUPPLY OF NUMBERING RESOURCES, AND EVIDENCE  REGARDING  ALTERNATIVES
   21  SUCH  AS  REALLOCATION  OF  EXISTING  RESOURCES, AND ISSUE A RECOMMENDED
   22  DECISION WHICH ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR A NEW AREA CODE AND CONSIDERS  THE
   23  COMPARATIVE  COSTS  AND  BENEFITS  OF  RECLAIMING UNDERUTILIZED EXCHANGE
   24  CODES WITH THE COST AND BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING A NEW AREA CODE.
   25    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately and  shall  apply  to  any
   26  pending commission proceedings regarding creation of new area codes.