Bill Text: NY S03274 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Enacts the accessible electronic information act for blind and disabled persons; creates a new fund in the state finance law; authorizes a not-for-profit entity to administer the program.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-16 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE [S03274 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S03274-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3274--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 20, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sens. PARKER, ADDABBO, AVELLA, CARLUCCI, COMRIE, GOLDEN, GRIFFO, HAMILTON, KENNEDY, MONTGOMERY, PERALTA, RANZENHOFER, SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications -- recommitted to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the public service law and the state finance law, in relation to enacting the accessible electronic information act The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "accessible electronic information act". 3 § 2. Legislative finding. The National Federation of the Blind estab- 4 lished the NFB-NEWSLINE to increase the ability of visually impaired 5 individuals to receive information provided by newspapers, magazines, 6 journals and other print media which are traditionally unavailable in a 7 limited electronic broadcast. Since 2002, this vital service has 8 provided visually impaired New Yorkers with information on job listings, 9 self-help magazines, do-it-yourself guides, political magazines, several 10 newspapers, TV guide listings, and other literary necessities that all 11 sighted New Yorkers have enjoyed. This legislation provides a stable 12 means to bring NEWSLINE to New York. 13 § 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 92-i to 14 read as follows: 15 § 92-i. Accessible electronic information; blind and disabled persons. 16 1. A qualified not-for-profit entity capable of providing such service 17 shall provide an accessible electronic information service for eligible 18 blind and disabled persons. This service shall be planned for continua- 19 tion from year to year and make maximum use of federal, state, private 20 and other funds available, including obtaining grant or in-kind support 21 from appropriate programs and securing access to low-cost interstate 22 rates for telecommunications by reimbursement or otherwise. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04231-02-8S. 3274--A 2 1 2. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the follow- 2 ing meanings, unless otherwise indicated: 3 (a) "Accessible electronic information service" means news and other 4 timely information (including newspapers) provided to eligible individ- 5 uals from a multi-state service center, using high-speed computers and 6 telecommunications technology for interstate acquisition of content and 7 rapid distribution in a form appropriate for use by such individuals; 8 (b) "Blind and disabled persons" means those individuals who are 9 eligible for library loan services through the Library of Congress and 10 the State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped pursuant to 11 36 CFR 701.10(b); 12 (c) "Director" means the director of the selected not-for-profit enti- 13 ty; 14 (d) "Qualified entity" means a not-for-profit entity within this state 15 capable of providing accessible electronic information services which: 16 (i) provides interstate access for eligible persons to read daily 17 newspapers producing audio editions by computer, and 18 (ii) provides a means of program administration and reader registra- 19 tion on the internet. 20 § 4. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-ee to 21 read as follows: 22 § 99-ee. Accessible electronic information service fund. 1. There is 23 hereby established in the custody of the state comptroller a special 24 revenue fund to be known as the "accessible electronic information 25 service fund". 26 2. Funding for the accessible electronic information service fund 27 shall be obtained from: 28 a. The Targeted Accessibility Fund, Inc., established by the public 29 service commission in its "order and opinion 98-10" in an amount deemed 30 appropriate for the purpose of providing electronic distribution of 31 newspapers, periodicals, time sensitive materials, and other information 32 which may be of benefit to the community; and 33 b. The New York state commission for the blind in an amount deemed 34 appropriate by the commissioner for providing electronic distribution of 35 newspapers, periodicals, time sensitive materials, and other information 36 which may be of benefit to the community. 37 3. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the state from 38 receiving grants, gifts or bequests and depositing them into the acces- 39 sible electronic information service fund according to law. 40 4. The accessible electronic information service fund shall be admin- 41 istered by the public service commission, in consultation with the 42 director and the commissioner, in accordance with this section. 43 5. The public service commission shall require companies who provide 44 telecommunication services to blind and disabled persons, as defined in 45 paragraph (b) of subdivision two of section ninety-two-i of the public 46 service law, including but not limited to, certified telecommunication 47 carriers, cable television companies that offer telephone service, and 48 other companies the public service commission deems to be a provider of 49 telecommunication services, to contribute to the Targeted Accessibility 50 Fund, Inc. for the purpose of increasing funding to comply with para- 51 graph a of subdivision two of this section. 52 § 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 53 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment 54 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation 55 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or before 56 such effective date.