Senate Bill S4180

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S4180

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring tele-
phone companies to alert customers to replace telephone backup battery
units and to provide one backup battery unit to each customer every
three years

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To require any regulated telephone corporation to provide customers with
a biennial notice detailing the need to replace back up battery units
and provide customers with backup battery units every three units or at
a rate of time determined by the-public service commission.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends article 5 of the public service law by adding a new
section 134 to require any regulated telephone corporation provide
              

customers with a biennial notice detailing the need to replace their
back up battery units when units reach the end of their, usable life and
provide one back up battery every three years, or at a rate of time
determined by the PSC, at the customer's option and free of charge.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In efforts to provide more efficient service to customers, telecommuni-
cation corporations have begun switching from copper-based telephone
lines to fiber optic-based lines. Some of the benefits to using fiber
edit lines over copper lines include the fact that they are less expen-
sive to install; they do not break down as easily and are also less
susceptible to damage from environmental factors such as temperature and
electromagnetic fluctuations; and they offer enhanced performance capa-
bilities, for instance faster speeds and lower rates of signal loss.

However, the use of fiber optic lines does present certain consider-
ations. One significant issue is a customer's inability to use their
telephone in the event of a power outage. During an outage, a phone
connected to a copper wire line will continue to work.  However, a phone
connected to a fiber optic line will only work during an outage if a
customer has a back-up battery. The phone would continue to work until
the battery runs out of power. This situation i6 especially problematic
for low income individuals who might not have access to a back-up
battery nor ever  the resources to purchase one, the elderly, and also
for these who rely on their landline at home for work purposes, such as
doctors who use their phone to connect with patients when they are out
of the office.

This bill would require telephone corporations to provide customers with
a biennial notice that details the need to replace backup battery units
before they reach the end of :heir usable life.  Additionally, this bill
would require such corporations to provide consumers with one backup
battery unit every three years, or as a rate determined by the PSC, at
the customer's request and free of charge and ensure fiber-based tele-

phone services remain operational in the event of residential power
loss.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.