S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6757--A
Cal. No. 320
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 17, 2013
___________
Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Consumer Affairs and Protection -- advanced to a third reading,
amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of
third reading
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring provid-
ers of electric, gas, steam, telephone and cable television service to
use a uniform format, and uniform terminologies and definitions in
bills for residential service; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon the expiration thereof
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the "uniform utility consumer comparison act".
S 2. Subdivision 1 of section 44 of the public service law, as added
by chapter 713 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
1. Every utility corporation or municipality shall assure that bills
for service to residential customers adequately explain the charges for
service in clear and understandable form and language. FURTHERMORE, SUCH
BILLS SHALL UTILIZE THE FORMAT, TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS ESTABLISHED
THEREFOR BY THE COMMISSION. The commission [may] SHALL, from time to
time, specify [the] A UNIFORM form and content [of] FOR such bills to
further the objectives of this subdivision. SUCH FORM AND CONTENT SHALL
REQUIRE THE USE OF SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS.
S 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 92-h
to read as follows:
S 92-H. UNIFORMITY IN RESIDENTIAL BILLS. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS
SECTION, "PROVIDER OF TELEPHONE SERVICES" MEANS A TELEPHONE CORPORATION
THAT PROVIDES INTRASTATE INTER-LATA, INTRA-LATA OR LOCAL EXCHANGE TELE-
PHONE SERVICE TO END-USE CUSTOMERS.
2. EVERY PROVIDER OF TELEPHONE SERVICES SHALL ASSURE THAT BILLS FOR
TELEPHONE SERVICE TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN THE CHARG-
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10036-04-4
A. 6757--A 2
ES FOR SERVICE AND ALL OTHER CHARGES IN CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE FORM
AND LANGUAGE. FURTHERMORE, SUCH BILLS SHALL UTILIZE THE FORMAT, TERMI-
NOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS ESTABLISHED THEREFOR BY THE COMMISSION.
3. THE COMMISSION SHALL ESTABLISH A UNIFORM FORMAT FOR BILLS ISSUED TO
RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS BY PROVIDERS OF TELEPHONE SERVICES. SUCH FORMAT
SHALL REQUIRE THE USE OF SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS.
S 4. Section 224-b of the public service law, as added by chapter 359
of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
S 224-b. Cable bills. 1. At the time service is initiated to a resi-
dential customer and at least once a year thereafter, every telephone
corporation, as defined in subdivision seventeen of section two of this
chapter, and every cable television company, as defined in section two
hundred twelve of this article that provides cable service to customers
in New York shall provide its customers with a notice that billing
statements are available in a large print format. Upon written request
by a customer, every telephone corporation and cable television company
shall provide the customer's billing statements in large print format no
later than sixty days after the date upon which the request is received
by the telephone corporation and cable television company. The
provisions of this section shall apply only to printed statements. For
the purposes of this section, "large print" means a font size of sixteen
or larger to illuminate billing information.
2. EVERY TELEPHONE CORPORATION AND CABLE TELEVISION COMPANY SHALL
ASSURE THAT BILLS FOR CABLE SERVICE TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS ADEQUATELY
EXPLAIN THE CHARGES FOR SERVICE AND ALL OTHER CHARGES IN CLEAR AND
UNDERSTANDABLE FORM AND LANGUAGE. FURTHERMORE, SUCH BILLS SHALL UTILIZE
THE FORMAT, TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS ESTABLISHED THEREFOR BY THE
COMMISSION.
3. THE COMMISSION SHALL ESTABLISH A UNIFORM FORMAT FOR BILLS ISSUED TO
RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS FOR CABLE SERVICE. SUCH FORMAT SHALL REQUIRE THE
USE OF SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS.
S 5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
deemed repealed 5 years after it shall take effect, except that section
two of this act, subdivision 2 of section 92-h of the public service
law, as added by section three of this act, and subdivision 2 of section
224-b of the public service law, as added by section four of this act,
shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after this act shall
have become a law.