BILL NUMBER:  S4222

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the general business law, in
relation to protecting the rights of cell phone users

 PURPOSE :

Eliminates charges for the cancellation of an additional phone line
and allows for the addition of a new phone line without renewing the
original contract.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 of the bill adds a new Section 390-d to the General Business
Law, which provides that cell phone service providers cannot cause a
user to extend their existing contract simply because they have added
an additional line to their current plan. This section also prohibits
cell phone providers from charging a user for canceling a phone line
from their account, as long as the primary line is kept active.

 EXISTING LAW :

None.

 JUSTIFICATION :

              

Cell phones have become almost as common as household phones. Most
couples and families purchase contracts and add additional lines for
their loved ones, so they can keep in touch. It is often the case that
lines are added to a customer's existing contract (a child becomes a
teenager, or a single adult becomes involved in a relationship), and
just as frequently, lines are canceled (a couple breaks up, or a child
graduates college and gets their own phone).

Cell phone providers currently charge customers a cancellation fee
when they drop an additional line which was added to their primary
phone line. Similarly, it is standard practice by most cell phone
providers to require that customers, when adding an additional phone
line to their contract, cause an automatic renewal of their contract.

The monthly cost for cell phone service, the additional charges that
are frequently incurred, and the length of the cell phone contracts,
are all quite extensive. Customers should not have to pay for the
addition or removal of a line, as long as they maintain their main
line.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2013-2014 S.430 Referred to consumer protections
2015-2016 S.2325 Referred to consumer protections

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
Immediately.