A 4713: Requires utility companies maintain a toll free number for consumers to call to report service outages which shall be made available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4713 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH, SEAWRIGHT, DeSTEFANO, SANTABARBARA, TAGUE, DURSO, SHIMSKY, GLICK, OTIS, REYES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law, the public authorities law and the general business law, in relation to requiring utility companies maintain a toll free number for reporting service outages The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 2 119-e to read as follows: 3 § 119-e. Toll free number for service outages. 1. Any gas corpo- 4 ration, electric corporation, gas and electric corporation, water corpo- 5 ration, steam corporation or a municipality rendering equivalent utility 6 services is required to establish, provide and maintain a toll free 7 phone number for consumers of such utility to call for reporting service 8 outages. Such toll free number shall: 9 a. be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; 10 b. have the capacity to adequately address a surge in phone call 11 volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions; 12 c. be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of the utility 13 company's website; and 14 d. be posted clearly and conspicuously on the first page of each 15 consumer's billing statement. 16 2. The failure to comply with the provisions in this section shall 17 subject any gas corporation, electric corporation, gas and electric 18 corporation, water corporation, steam corporation or a municipality 19 rendering equivalent utility services to the penalties authorized in 20 section twenty-five of this chapter. 21 3. Any municipality shall have the opportunity to petition the commis- 22 sion for an exemption from the requirements of this section if such 23 municipality can show that such requirements are unduly burdensome. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01164-02-5 
 A. 4713 2 1 § 2. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 2 1020-nn to read as follows: 3 § 1020-nn. Toll free number for service outages. 1. The service 4 provider shall be required to establish, provide and maintain a toll 5 free phone number for consumers of service provided by the service 6 provider to call for reporting service outages. Such toll free number 7 shall: 8 (a) be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; 9 (b) have the capacity to adequately address a surge in phone call 10 volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions; 11 (c) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of the author- 12 ity's website; and 13 (d) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the first page of each 14 consumer's billing statement. 15 2. The failure to comply with the provisions of this section shall 16 subject the service provider to the penalties authorized in section 17 twenty-five of the public service law. 18 § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 19 399-yyyyy to read as follows: 20 § 399-yyyyy. Toll free number for cable television and internet 21 service outages. 1. Any cable television or internet service provider 22 rendering equivalent utility services is required to establish, provide 23 and maintain a toll free phone number for consumers of such utility to 24 call for reporting service outages. Such toll free number shall: 25 (a) be attended twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; 26 (b) have the capacity to adequately address a surge in phone call 27 volume during an emergency situation or extreme weather conditions; 28 (c) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the homepage of the cable 29 television or internet service provider's website; and 30 (d) be posted clearly and conspicuously on the first page of each 31 consumer's billing statement. 32 2. The failure to comply with the provisions in this section shall 33 subject any cable television or internet service provider rendering 34 equivalent utility services to the penalties authorized in section twen- 35 ty-five of the public service law. 36 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 37 have become a law.