NY State Senate Bill 2013-S1606

Senate Bill S1606

2013-2014 Legislative Session

Requires deferred installment payment plan be offered to small businesses for telephone service installation, initiation and nonrecurring maintenance charges

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Energy And Telecommunications Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2014	referred to energy and telecommunications
Jan 09, 2013	referred to energy and telecommunications

co-Sponsors

2013-S1606 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4509
Current Committee:: Senate Energy And Telecommunications
Law Section:: Public Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§94 & 215, Pub Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: S4841, A2928
2011-2012: S6497, A6609
2015-2016: A3720

2013-S1606 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires deferred payment plan in installments over a period of up to one year be offered to small businesses for telephone installation, service initiation and nonrecurring maintenance charges; defines "small business" as a business which is resident in the state, independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field, employs one hundred or fewer persons and has installed no more than four telephone lines.

2013-S1606 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S1606

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the public service law, in relation to deferred payment of
certain charges to residential and
small business customers

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The primary purpose of this legislation is to amend the public service
law to offer to small businesses a plan for deferred payment of
charges stemming from the installation or initiation of service of a
telephone line, or charges resulting from any nonrecurring
maintenance service charge with respect to the telephone line or
equipment. The public service law currently requires this offer to be
made with respect to residential telephone lines. This amendment
would extend the offer of deferred payment to small businesses.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends subdivision 4 of section 94 of the public service law
to include small business telephone lines; adds paragraph (b) to
define a small business.

Section 2 sets the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:
Subdivision 4 of section 94 of the Public Service Law currently
requires that the Public Service Commission require telephone
companies to offer a plan for the deferred payment of installation
charges for residential telephone lines of up to one year. The result
is that persons who otherwise could not afford to pay the
installation charges may pay over the course of a year. This
amendment would extend such a payment option to small businesses,
thereby easing the burden of start-up and expansion costs with
respect to telephone service, which is a necessity for many small
businesses.

Article 4-B of the Economic Development Law, states in its legislative
findings and objectives that small business has been a major positive
factor in the political, economic and social development of the
state; the future welfare of the state depends on the continued
development of small business; and that the state has a
responsibility to assist in small business development in furtherance
or the general welfare. This amendment comports with the legislatures
firm dedication towards assisting and promoting small business.
Easing telephone installation charges would lessen start-up burdens
and expansion costs for new small businesses and would therefore
serve to encourage and increase small
business in New York.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2003-04: S.3334 - Referred to Energy and Telecommunications
2007-08: A.2928 - Passed Assembly
2009-10: S.4341 - Referred to Energy and Telecommunications
2011-12: S.6497 - Referred to Energy and Telecommunications


FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately.

2013-S1606 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  1606

                       2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                               (PREFILED)

                             January 9, 2013
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen. MAZIARZ -- 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 deferred payment
  of certain charges to residential and small business customers

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivision 4 of section 94 of the public service law, as
added by chapter 593 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:
  4. (A) The commission shall require, with respect to  any  charge  for
the  installation  or  initiation  of  service of a residential OR SMALL
BUSINESS telephone line, or any nonrecurring maintenance service  charge
with respect to a residential OR SMALL BUSINESS telephone line or equip-
ment, that any telephone corporation imposing such a charge offer a plan
for  the deferred payment thereof in installments over a period of up to
one year. For the purposes of this subdivision, charges  for  initiation
of  service  are charges for the connection of service including but not
limited to charges for central office line, premises visit, inside  wire
and jacks, and any related service.
  (B)  FOR  THE  PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, A SMALL BUSINESS SHALL BE
DEEMED TO BE ONE WHICH IS RESIDENT IN THIS  STATE,  INDEPENDENTLY  OWNED
AND OPERATED, NOT DOMINANT IN ITS FIELD AND WHICH EMPLOYS ONE HUNDRED OR
LESS PERSONS WHICH HAS INSTALLED NO MORE THAN FOUR LINES.
  S 2.  Section 215 of the public service law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 14 to read as follows:
  14.  (A)  REQUIRE,  WITH RESPECT TO ANY CHARGE FOR THE INSTALLATION OR
INITIATION OF SERVICE OF A RESIDENTIAL OR SMALL BUSINESS CABLE LINE,  OR
ANY  NONRECURRING  MAINTENANCE SERVICE CHARGE WITH RESPECT TO A RESIDEN-
TIAL OR SMALL BUSINESS CABLE LINE OR EQUIPMENT, THAT  ANY  CABLE  CORPO-
RATION  IMPOSING  SUCH  A  CHARGE  OFFER A PLAN FOR THE DEFERRED PAYMENT

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                           LBD02716-01-3

S. 1606                             2

THEREOF IN INSTALLMENTS OVER A  PERIOD  OF  UP  TO  ONE  YEAR.  FOR  THE
PURPOSES  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  CHARGES  FOR INITIATION OF SERVICE ARE
CHARGES FOR THE CONNECTION OF  SERVICE  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO
CHARGES  FOR CENTRAL OFFICE LINE, PREMISES VISIT, INSIDE WIRE AND JACKS,
AND ANY RELATED SERVICE.
  (B) FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, A SMALL BUSINESS SHALL BE DEEMED
TO BE ONE WHICH IS RESIDENT IN THIS STATE, INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPER-
ATED, NOT DOMINANT IN ITS FIELD AND WHICH EMPLOYS ONE  HUNDRED  OR  LESS
PERSONS WHICH HAS INSTALLED NO MORE THAN FOUR LINES.
  S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S1606

Share this bill

Sponsored By

George D. Maziarz