A-500

Sponsored by: Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex), Benjie E. Wimberly, & Joe Danielsen.
Co-Sponsored by: Assemblymen Murphy, Haider, Sauickie, & Karabinchak.

STATEMENT
This bill directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to require telecommunications companies and companies that offer Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or other Internet-Protocol enabled (IP-enabled) telephone services to provide a bill adjustment or credit, on a prorated basis, to certain customers who experience a service interruption for more than 72 hours. Under the bill, telecommunications companies are not to require the customer to take any action in order to receive the bill adjustment or credit. In the case of companies that offer VoIP or IP-enabled telephone services, a customer is required to notify the company by telephone or in writing within 30 days of a service interruption for a period of more than 72 hours in order to receive a bill adjustment or credit for the service interruption. For companies offering VoIP or other IP-enabled telephone services, the provision of bill adjustments and credits is limited to residential customers and is not required when a customer’s service interruption occurs during an event that causes significant damage to the electric grid. The bill permits the BPU to establish any other exceptions or limitations to the provision of bill adjustments and credits by companies that offer VoIP or IP-enabled telephone services.