A 5044: Requires that internet providers who provide service in a municipality provide basic internet service to each residential dwelling or residential dwelling unit in that municipality at no cost.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5044 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 11, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. JACOBSON, KIM, SIMON, COLTON, EPSTEIN, RAGA, EACHUS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring that internet providers who provide service in a municipality provide basic internet service to each residential dwelling or residential dwelling unit in that municipality at no cost 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 2 104-b to read as follows: 3 § 104-b. Provision of internet services. 1. The provisions of this 4 section shall apply to every provider of a broadband internet line which 5 lies wholly within the state and that part within the state of New York 6 of every broadband internet line which lies partly within and partly 7 without the state and to the persons, entities or corporations owning, 8 leasing or operating any such broadband internet line. 9 2. As used in this section, "internet service provider" means any 10 person, business, entity or organization qualified to do business in 11 this state that provides individuals, corporations, or other entities 12 within the state with the ability to connect to the internet through 13 equipment that is located in this state. 14 3. Each internet provider that provides service to customers within a 15 municipality shall provide basic internet service to each residential 16 dwelling or unit contained within such residential dwelling in that 17 municipality at no cost to the persons occupying such dwelling or unit. 18 4. The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate 19 the provisions of this section, including, but not limited to the 20 following: 21 (a) rules and regulations to apportion the responsibility of each 22 provider in the event that a municipality has authorized more than one EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04016-01-5 
 A. 5044 2 1 internet provider to operate within the geographic area of the munici- 2 pality; and 3 (b) rules and regulations to ensure such compliance internet service 4 providers with the provisions of this section. 5 5. No internet service provider shall assign or transfer liability for 6 its obligations under this section to any other person, business, entity 7 or organization or contract for any other person, business, entity or 8 organization to perform the internet service provider's duties under 9 this section without the prior written consent of the commission. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 11 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 12 ment, and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the imple- 13 mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made 14 and completed on or before such effective date.