New York Assembly Bill A08369

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/13/25
• Refer: 5/13/25

Caption

Requires cable television companies to issue credits for service outages to all affected subscribers.

Impact

The bill amends the public service law by adding provisions specifically regarding outage credits. This legislative change could significantly impact how cable television companies operate, as they will now be held accountable for service reliability and required to provide financial compensation in the event of service interruptions. As such, companies may need to reassess their service agreements and operational protocols to prevent outages and minimize credit liabilities, which could lead to improvements in infrastructure and service quality overall.

Summary

Bill A08369 aims to enhance consumer protection for subscribers of cable television services by mandating that cable companies provide credits for service outages. Specifically, the bill requires these companies to credit subscribers when service interruptions occur, based on the duration of the outage. For interruptions lasting 24 hours or more, subscribers are entitled to a credit equal to one-thirtieth of their monthly service charge for each day of disruption. This move is intended to ensure that consumers are compensated fairly for the loss of service, encouraging companies to maintain better service reliability.

Contention

While the bill is aimed at enhancing consumer rights, there may be concerns from cable providers regarding the financial implications of issuing credits for service outages. Critics may argue that this requirement could lead to increased operational costs, which companies might pass on to consumers through higher service rates. Additionally, there may be discussions on defining what constitutes a 'service interruption' and the acceptable conditions under which credits would not be issued, particularly in cases where outages are caused by external factors such as natural disasters or power failures. Balancing consumer protection without imposing excessive burdens on service providers will likely be a point of contention during discussions surrounding the bill.