S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3427
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 26, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
 
 AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to prohibiting tele-
   phone, cable and utility companies from charging a  fee  to  customers
   who  request copies of previous billing statements or statements veri-
   fying that they are a customer
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Section 224-b of the public service law, as added by chap-
 ter 359 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   § 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.  UPON CUSTOMER REQUEST, EVERY TELEPHONE CORPORATION AND CABLE TELE-
 VISION COMPANY SHALL  PROVIDE  COPIES  OF  PREVIOUS  BILLING  STATEMENTS
 AND/OR  STATEMENTS VERIFYING THAT SUCH PERSON REQUESTING THE DOCUMENT IS
 A CUSTOMER OF SUCH TELEPHONE CORPORATION OR  TELEVISION  COMPANY.  TELE-
 PHONE  CORPORATIONS  AND  TELEVISION COMPANIES SHALL NOT IMPOSE ANY FEE,
 CHARGE OR SURCHARGE FOR SUCH REQUESTS.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00960-01-1
              

 A. 3427                             2
 
   § 2. Section 44 of the public service law is amended by adding  a  new
 subdivision 6 to read as follows:
   6.  UPON  CUSTOMER REQUEST, EVERY UTILITY CORPORATION, ENERGY SERVICES
 COMPANY OR MUNICIPALITY SHALL PROVIDE COPIES OF PREVIOUS BILLING  STATE-
 MENTS  AND/OR STATEMENTS VERIFYING THAT SUCH PERSON REQUESTING THE DOCU-
 MENT IS A CUSTOMER OF SUCH UTILITY CORPORATION, ENERGY SERVICES  COMPANY
 OR  MUNICIPALITY. UTILITY COMPANIES, ENERGY SERVICES COMPANIES AND MUNI-
 CIPALITIES SHALL NOT IMPOSE  ANY  FEE,  CHARGE  OR  SURCHARGE  FOR  SUCH
 REQUESTS.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.