STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6636
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 10, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. FITZPATRICK -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to ensuring access
to emergency services via telephone
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
2 206-f to read as follows:
3 § 206-f. Access to emergency services via telephone. 1. For the
4 purpose of this section:
5 (a) The term "covered business" means any partnership, joint venture,
6 club, corporation or other form of business organization which opens its
7 facilities to the general public for the sale and purchase of goods or
8 services.
9 (b) The term "hotel" and "motel" means an establishment which is regu-
10 larly used and kept open as such in a bona fide manner for the feeding
11 and lodging of guests, where all who conduct themselves properly and who
12 are able and ready to pay for such services are received if there are
13 accommodations for them. This term shall include a tourist cabin, camp,
14 resort, tavern, inn, boarding house, lodging house or any other estab-
15 lishment comparable or equivalent to any of those previously mentioned.
16 (c) The term "multi-line telephone system" means any system comprised
17 of common control unit or units, telephone sets, control hardware and
18 software, and adjunct systems which enables users to make and receive
19 telephone calls using shared resources such as telephone network trunks
20 or data link bandwidth. This term includes, but is not limited to,
21 network-based and premises-based systems such as Centrex service, prem-
22 ises-based, hosted and cloud-based VoIP, as well as PBX, Hybrid and Key
23 Telephone Systems, as classified by the FCC under Part sixty-eight of
24 its rules.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10331-01-7
A. 6636 2
1 2. All hotels, motels and covered businesses which operate a multi-
2 line telephone system shall configure said system to allow any call to
3 911 on the system to be directly connected to a public safety answering
4 point without the use of an access code.
5 3. All hotels, motels and covered businesses which operate a multi-
6 line telephone system shall ensure that the configuration of said system
7 will also allow any call made on their system where the system's exist-
8 ing access code is dialed prior to dialing 911 be directly connected to
9 a public safety answering point.
10 4. When feasible, without improving system hardware, all hotels,
11 motels and covered businesses shall configure their multi-line telephone
12 system to provide notification of any 911 call made on its system to a
13 centralized location on the same site as the system.
14 5. The requirements set forth in this section shall not apply to any
15 hotel, motel or covered business that would be required to upgrade the
16 hardware of its telephone network to meet said requirements. However,
17 these exempted entities shall be required to place an instructional
18 sticker on or immediately adjacent to each telephone informing users of
19 the phone's inability to directly dial 911 and the procedures to follow
20 in case of an emergency. Each instructional sticker shall be printed in
21 bold, easy to read font in a contrasting color with a minimum print size
22 of sixteen point font.
23 6. Violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of two
24 hundred fifty dollars for an initial offense, with a fine of five
25 hundred dollars for any second or subsequent offenses. Each violation
26 shall be a separate and distinct offense. No fine shall be imposed until
27 after a hearing is held by the commissioner of the department of labor,
28 licensing and consumer affairs where the alleged violator shall have the
29 opportunity to be heard.
30 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
31 it shall have become a law.
