Bill Text: NY A01217 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to service quality standards for copper telephone systems; requires the public service commission to establish a plan to achieve a state of good repair for all copper telephone systems.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 46-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to corporations, authorities and commissions [A01217 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A01217-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1217
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 14, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. LIFTON, LUPARDO, THIELE, FAHY, WILLIAMS, BARRON,
          ABINANTI, WRIGHT, MAGNARELLI, PAULIN, VANEL, COLTON,  WALKER,  ARROYO,
          DICKENS,  WALLACE, STECK, PEOPLES-STOKES, COOK, ORTIZ, GLICK, BENEDET-
          TO, PERRY, RYAN, RICHARDSON, CARROLL, SANTABARBARA,  CUSICK,  WOERNER,
          ROZIC,  L. ROSENTHAL,  OTIS,  GOTTFRIED,  JEAN-PIERRE,  MOSLEY, GALEF,
          QUART, BICHOTTE, D'URSO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.  DE LA ROSA,
          ENGLEBRIGHT, HYNDMAN, LENTOL, RAMOS, RODRIGUEZ, SIMON -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
        AN  ACT  to amend the public service law, in relation to service quality
          standards for copper telephone systems
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Legislative  findings.  The  legislature hereby finds and
     2  declares that copper telephone systems are in a state of  disrepair  due
     3  to  aging equipment and underinvestment by telephone corporations in the
     4  financial and workforce capital needed to ensure the system's high qual-
     5  ity  functioning.  In  2005  the  public  service  commission   severely
     6  curtailed  service  quality penalties, which has led telephone companies
     7  to virtually abandon upkeep of copper telephone systems letting them age
     8  and deteriorate. Copper telephone systems will continue  to  deteriorate
     9  if such issues are not addressed.
    10    Millions  of  New Yorkers rely on the copper telephone system, in many
    11  places with no alternative source of affordable service. Many  customers
    12  are  subject  to  prolonged  service outages, long delays in new service
    13  installation, and frequent instances of  substandard  service.  Further,
    14  many  telephone  companies  lack  the  workforce  necessary  to meet the
    15  system's installation, maintenance and repair needs.
    16    While some communities within the state  are  not  reliant  on  copper
    17  telephone  systems,  many  still  are.  There  are communities that have
    18  access to fiber optic  services  but  significant  portions  of  upstate
    19  including  cities and rural areas and other underserved areas do not. In
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02855-01-9
        A. 1217                             2
     1  many cases the regions which do not have access to fiber optic  services
     2  are  the  same areas suffering from the worst copper service. In most of
     3  these communities, customers face a virtual broadband monopoly  because,
     4  as  the  Staff  Telecommunications  Assessment reported in the summer of
     5  2015, fewer than 1% of broadband customers  choose  satellite  as  their
     6  provider  and wireless alternatives are too costly because of data caps.
     7  Thus it is necessary to fix and keep copper telephone  systems  in  good
     8  working  condition  since  many  communities in New York state are still
     9  reliant on them. It is the responsibility of the public service  commis-
    10  sion  to  ensure  that  all telephone corporations maintain their copper
    11  telephone systems in a state of good repair so that all regions  of  New
    12  York  state  have equal access to quality functioning telecommunications
    13  services.
    14    § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to
    15  read as follows:
    16    § 91-b. Service quality standards for copper telephone systems.  1. In
    17  accordance with subdivision one of section ninety-one and section  nine-
    18  ty-eight  of this article, the commission shall require all copper tele-
    19  phone systems to be maintained in a state of good  repair  within  three
    20  years of the effective date of this section.
    21    2.  The  commission  shall establish a plan to achieve a state of good
    22  repair for all copper telephone systems. Such plan  shall  include,  but
    23  shall not be limited to:
    24    (a)  Reinvestment in copper telephone system plants. Such reinvestment
    25  shall include replacing, upgrading, maintaining and repairing  equipment
    26  and maintaining a sufficient workforce to perform required maintenance;
    27    (b)  Maintenance  of  air  pressure  systems.  Such  maintenance shall
    28  include updating air pressure equipment such as transducers,  manifolds,
    29  and dehydrators and cable repairs.  An adequate workforce shall be main-
    30  tained to perform required maintenance on such air pressure systems;
    31    (c)  Creation  of  proactive maintenance crews to ensure all customers
    32  receive quality service; and
    33    (d) Collection and assessment of service quality data. The  commission
    34  shall  then impose service quality penalties for failure to meet service
    35  quality metrics for all consumers.
    36    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.