Bill Text: NY A08018 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Requires companies to allow victims of domestic violence to cancel contracts when there is a permanent order of protection in place.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-03 - print number 8018a [A08018 Detail]
Download: New_York-2013-A08018-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 8018--A 2013-2014 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y June 14, 2013 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- recommitted to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the public service law and the general business law, in relation to requiring companies to allow victims of domestic violence to cancel contracts when there is a permanent order of protection in place THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Section 91 of the public service law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 8 to read as follows: 3 8. EVERY LOCAL EXCHANGE TELEPHONE CORPORATION, AS DEFINED IN THIS 4 CHAPTER SHALL ALLOW A CUSTOMER WHO IS UNDER CONTRACT, INCLUDING BUT NOT 5 LIMITED TO A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT OR BUNDLE CONTRACT, TO BREAK SUCH 6 CONTRACT WITHOUT PENALTY WHEN SUCH CUSTOMER IS: (A) A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC 7 VIOLENCE, AS DEFINED IN SECTION FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE-A OF THE SOCIAL 8 SERVICES LAW; (B) SUCH CUSTOMER REQUESTS RELEASE IN WRITING; AND (C) 9 SUCH CUSTOMER POSSESSES ANY ORDER OF PROTECTION, OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY 10 ORDER OF PROTECTION, THAT HAS BEEN ISSUED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURIS- 11 DICTION. THE TELEPHONE COMPANY SHALL WAIVE THE OTHERWISE APPLICABLE 12 CHARGES FOR BREAKING SUCH CONTRACT. SUCH WAIVER OF CHARGES SHALL BE FOR 13 THE DURATION OF THE APPLICABLE, NON-TEMPORARY, ORDER. 14 S 2. Section 399-yy of the general business law, as added by chapter 15 202 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows: 16 S 399-yy. Cable television company providing telephone services. 1. 17 Every cable television company, as defined in section two hundred twelve 18 of the public service law, that provides telephone service to customers 19 in New York shall, at its option: a. allow a customer to use a modified 20 or alternative name for a directory listing or b. waive the otherwise EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10585-03-4 A. 8018--A 2 1 applicable charges for a non-published telephone listing, where the 2 customer requests protection of its identity in connection with the 3 customer's purchase of telephone service and the customer is a victim of 4 domestic violence, as defined in section four hundred fifty-nine-a of 5 the social services law, and for whose benefit any order of protection, 6 other than a temporary order of protection, has been issued by a court 7 of competent jurisdiction. This waiver of charges shall be for the dura- 8 tion of the applicable, non-temporary, order. Any non-published listings 9 provided in this section shall conform to all the same requirements of 10 other non-published listings. A customer requesting such an accommo- 11 dation shall provide a copy of the order of protection to the applicable 12 cable television company. Any customer requesting an accommodation 13 pursuant to this section may also request and shall be provided, at no 14 cost to the customer, a new telephone number within fifteen days from 15 the request for such accommodation. 16 2. EVERY CABLE TELEVISION COMPANY, AS DEFINED IN SECTION TWO HUNDRED 17 TWELVE OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE LAW, THAT PROVIDES TELEVISION AND/OR TELE- 18 PHONE SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS IN NEW YORK SHALL ALLOW A CUSTOMER WHO IS 19 UNDER CONTRACT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT OR 20 BUNDLE CONTRACT, TO BREAK SUCH CONTRACT WITHOUT PENALTY WHEN SUCH 21 CUSTOMER IS: A. A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AS DEFINED IN SECTION 22 FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE-A OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES LAW; B. SUCH CUSTOMER 23 REQUESTS RELEASE IN WRITING; AND C. SUCH CUSTOMER POSSESSES ANY ORDER OF 24 PROTECTION, OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY ORDER OF PROTECTION, THAT HAS BEEN 25 ISSUED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION. 26 S 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 399- 27 yyy to read as follows: 28 S 399-YYY. SATELLITE TELEVISION COMPANY PROVIDING TELEVISION AND/OR 29 TELEPHONE SERVICES. 1. EVERY DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE SERVICE PROVID- 30 ER, AS DEFINED IN THIS SECTION, THAT PROVIDES TELEVISION AND/OR TELE- 31 PHONE SERVICES TO CUSTOMERS IN NEW YORK SHALL ALLOW A CUSTOMER WHO IS 32 UNDER CONTRACT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT OR 33 BUNDLE CONTRACT, TO BREAK SUCH CONTRACT WITHOUT PENALTY WHEN SUCH 34 CUSTOMER IS (A) A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AS DEFINED IN SECTION 35 FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE-A OF THE SOCIAL SERVICES LAW AND (B) SUCH 36 CUSTOMER REQUESTS RELEASE IN WRITING AND (C) SUCH CUSTOMER POSSESSES ANY 37 ORDER OF PROTECTION, OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY ORDER OF PROTECTION, THAT 38 HAS BEEN ISSUED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION. 39 2. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE 40 THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS: 41 (A) "DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE SERVICE", MEANS THE DISTRIBUTION OR 42 BROADCASTING BY SATELLITE OF VIDEO PROGRAMMING OR SERVICES DIRECTLY TO 43 RECEIVING EQUIPMENT LOCATED AT AN END USER SUBSCRIBER'S OR AN END USER 44 CUSTOMER'S PREMISES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE PROVISION OF 45 PREMIUM CHANNELS, THE PROVISION OF MUSIC OR OTHER AUDIO SERVICES OR 46 CHANNELS, AND ANY OTHER SERVICE RECEIVED IN CONNECTION WITH THE 47 PROVISION OF DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE SERVICE. 48 (B) "DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE SERVICE PROVIDER", MEANS A PERSON WHO 49 TRANSMITS, BROADCASTS OR OTHERWISE PROVIDES DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE 50 SERVICE TO SUBSCRIBERS OR CUSTOMERS IN THE STATE. 51 S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.