Bill Text: NY S02031 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Requires a phone company to restore service promptly when phone service goes down for someone who uses a medical alert system or a device that transmits medical data.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-11 - REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS [S02031 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S02031-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2031
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 11, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sen. SQUADRON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
          cations
        AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring a phone
          company  to  restore service promptly when phone service goes down for
          someone who uses a medical alert system or  a  device  that  transmits
          medical data
          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  91-b to read as follows:
     3    § 91-b. Service restoration for consumers using a medical alert system
     4  or  a device that transmits medical data. 1. Every telephone corporation
     5  subject to the provisions of this article shall develop and implement an
     6  emergency response plan ensuring the reasonably  prompt  restoration  of
     7  telephone services in the event of an outage for customers who utilize a
     8  medical  alert  system  or communications equipment, in conjunction with
     9  medical devices, to monitor and transmit medical data to their  treating
    10  physicians' medical sites.
    11    2.  (a)  Each  emergency response plan described in subdivision one of
    12  this section shall be submitted by  the  telephone  corporation  to  the
    13  commission  for  review  and approval. All such plans shall be submitted
    14  annually, on or before December fifteenth.
    15    (b) The commission shall review the emergency response plan and notify
    16  the telephone corporation of approval or disapproval of the plan  within
    17  thirty  days  of  receiving  the  plan.  If the plan is disapproved, the
    18  commission shall provide the telephone corporation with written  notifi-
    19  cation  of  the  reasons for the disapproval at the time it notifies the
    20  telephone corporation of the disapproval  of  the  plan.  The  telephone
    21  corporation shall revise the plan to address the reasons for disapproval
    22  and  shall  re-submit  the  plan to the commission within thirty days of
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02371-01-7
        S. 2031                             2
     1  receiving notice of the disapproval. The  commission  shall  review  the
     2  resubmitted  plan  and  notify  the telephone corporation of approval or
     3  disapproval within fifteen days of receiving the revised plan.
     4    3.  Each  emergency  response  plan  shall  include, at a minimum, the
     5  following:
     6    (a) the name, address and contact information for  each  customer  who
     7  has  provided  written  or  online  documentation of his or her need for
     8  telephone service for medical needs during outages;
     9    (b) outreach plans to communicate with each customer who has  provided
    10  written or online documentation of his or her need for telephone service
    11  for medical needs during outages;
    12    (c) procedures to practice the emergency response plan; and
    13    (d) such other additional information as the commission may require.
    14    4. Every telephone corporation subject to the provisions of this arti-
    15  cle shall:
    16    (a)  send annually to each residence it serves a form that may be used
    17  to notify the telephone corporation that a person living  in  the  resi-
    18  dence  suffers  from life threatening medical conditions which require a
    19  medical alert system or the constant use of communications technology to
    20  remotely monitor and transmit critical medical data to  treating  physi-
    21  cians; and
    22    (b)  provide  on its website, an easily accessible link for use by its
    23  customers for the purpose of notifying the telephone corporation that  a
    24  person  living  in  the  residence suffers from life threatening medical
    25  conditions which require a medical alert system or the constant  use  of
    26  communications  technology  to  remotely  monitor  and transmit critical
    27  medical data to treating physicians.
    28    5. Notification of the telephone corporation that a person living in a
    29  residence suffers from life threatening medical conditions which require
    30  a medical alert system or the constant use of communications  technology
    31  to  remotely  monitor  and  transmit  critical  medical data to treating
    32  physicians shall be voluntary. No customer shall be required to  provide
    33  notification to a telephone corporation unless he or she opts to do so.
    34    6.  Each  telephone  corporation  shall maintain a current list of its
    35  customers who have provided notification to the telephone corporation as
    36  provided in subdivision four of this section, and shall include the list
    37  in such telephone corporation's  emergency  response  plan.  The  names,
    38  addresses  and contact information of customers who provide notification
    39  to the telephone corporation as provided in  subdivision  four  of  this
    40  section  shall  be  added  to the list within three business days of the
    41  date the telephone corporation receives notice from the customer, either
    42  in writing or online. Each customer on the list shall be responsible for
    43  notifying the telephone corporation of any  changes  in  the  customer's
    44  name, address or contact information.
    45    7. No telephone corporation shall assign or transfer liability for its
    46  obligations  under  this  section  to any other person or corporation or
    47  contract for any other person or corporation to  perform  the  telephone
    48  corporation's  duties  under  this  section  without  the  prior written
    49  consent of the commission.
    50    8. The commission shall supervise,  and  ensure  compliance  with  the
    51  provisions  of  this section, and shall promulgate rules and regulations
    52  it deems necessary to ensure such compliance by  telephone  corporations
    53  with the provisions of this section.
    54    9.  As used in this section: (a) "telephone corporation" means a tele-
    55  phone corporation as defined in section two of this  chapter,  and  also
    56  includes providers of internet and cell phone service; and
        S. 2031                             3
     1    (b)  "outage"  refers  to any disruption in or compromise of telephone
     2  service regardless of the reason for such disruption or compromise.
     3    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
     4  it  shall  have  become  law; provided, however, that the public service
     5  commission is immediately authorized and directed to take  any  and  all
     6  actions  necessary  to  fully implement the provisions of this act on or
     7  before its effective date.