Senate Bill S2357

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2357
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 16, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on  Energy  and  Telecommuni-
   cations
 
 AN  ACT  in  relation to requiring reports from certain telephone corpo-
   rations on the quality and availability of line-powered voice services

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have
 the following meanings:
   a. "line-powered voice service" means residential voice  service  that
 is provided using copper-based facilities that are line-powered; and
   b. "covered provider" means a telephone corporation with more than ten
 thousand  customers  that has provided line-powered voice service at any
 point on or after January 1, 2023.
   2. Within sixty days after  the  effective  date  of  this  act,  each
 covered  provider  shall  prepare and submit to the department of public
 service and the legislature a written report that  shall  make  findings
 and recommendations concerning the quality and availability of line-pow-
 ered voice services. Without unreasonably exposing customers' personally
 identifiable  information  in  a manner that violates the public service
 law, department of public service practices or federal law, reports from
 such covered provider shall include, but not be limited to  the  follow-
 ing:
   a. the number of customers who receive line-powered voice services;
   b. the number of customers that were notified by the company that they
 would  be  switched from line-powered voice service to fiber optic based
 service, despite customers' requests to  remain  on  line-powered  voice
 service;
   c.  the  number  and  location of service areas where both the company
 informed customers that the customer's line-powered voice service  shall
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06414-01-5
 S. 2357                             2
              

 
 be  discontinued  and  where  customers also did not have the ability to
 switch to fiber based service at the time of such notification;
   d.  the  number  of  customers who requested or attempted to return to
 line-powered voice service  after  being  moved  to  fiber  optic  based
 service by the covered provider; and
   e.  the  number  of customers receiving line-powered voice service who
 were refused quality resolution  or  service  repair  and  were  instead
 advised to switch to fiber optic based service for reliable service from
 the covered provider.
   3.  Each    covered  provider  shall publish on its website the report
 required pursuant to subdivision one  of  this  section,  simultaneously
 with the submission of such report. The reports shall include the infor-
 mation  required  pursuant  to this section in a spreadsheet format. The
 department of public service shall provide meaningful opportunities  for
 public comment from all persons who will be impacted by the reports. The
 public hearings shall also be available virtually.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.