-Verizon agrees to provisions put forward in the Comptroller’s “Cable Bill of Rights”-
-Comptroller recommends agreement serve as blueprint for future pacts -

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. voted in favor of a 12-year cable franchise agreement for Verizon at the Franchise and Concession Review Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2008. Thompson praised the agreement for incorporating many provisions he recommended in his recently introduced “Cable Consumer Bill of Rights.” Photo credit: Marla S. Maritzer

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today cast his vote in favor of a 12-year cable franchise agreement for Verizon, citing numerous provisions agreed to by the company from his recently introduced “Cable Consumer Bill of Rights.”

 “I am pleased that Verizon has agreed with many of the provisions included in my ‘Cable Consumer Bill of Rights’ in order to provide increased transparency and customer service,” Thompson said at the meeting of the Franchise Concession and Review Committee.

FCRC) “The negotiation process resulted in an amicable agreement for the City, Verizon, and more importantly, the consumer.  As a result of the concessions we have received, I vote in favor of granting Verizon a franchise agreement.”

FCRC members subsequently voted 6-0 to approve the agreement.

In March, Comptroller Thompson introduced his “Cable Consumer Bill of Rights,” a multi-pronged blueprint created in conjunction with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and Consumers Union aimed to strengthen the rights of the cable customer.

Many of the Comptroller’s recommendations were accepted by Verizon.  These include:

• Verizon will be required, on a quarterly basis, to submit a report to the city providing the following information with respect to subscriber complaints:

1. The total number of complaints received by Verizon in each borough and Video Service Office (VSO). Verizon has more than 60 VSO's throughout the city, so receiving complaint information per VSO will allow the city to break down such information by community district;
2. The nature and current status of all complaints received by Verizon in each borough and VSO, described in appropriate subcategories, including, but not limited to, billing, equipment related issues, installation-related issues, credit adjustments, missed appointments and service calls; and’
3. The percentage of complaints resolved and percentage of complaints outstanding in each borough and VSO.

• Verizon must, upon a subscriber's or the City's written request, notify the subscriber in writing of its proposed resolution of a billing dispute and that the subscriber can appeal the proposed resolution to the city.
  
  
• Verizon has agreed to establish and maintain an additional Service Center, located near mass transit, in each borough within 90 days from the date on which it achieves an aggregate subscriber base of 60,000 in a borough.

• Verizon will be required to collect and report information on significant service outages by borough and VSO. In the event the City notifies Verizon that it has determined that there has been an excessive number or a routine pattern of significant outages in any borough or community, Verizon must submit to the City, on a quarterly basis, a "Plan for Correction" outlining Verizon's plan for minimizing the occurrence of such significant outages.
  
• The "Welcome Kit" that Verizon will provide to each new subscriber will advise the customer of the requirements concerning subscriber privacy set forth in the Cable Act and any rules or regulations put forth by the City.

• With respect to programming, Verizon has explicitly agreed that it will comply with the provisions of the Cable Act and Federal Communications Commission regulations that prohibit a cable operator from discriminating against an unaffiliated programmer with respect to the selection, terms or conditions for carriage of programming.
  
• Verizon has agreed to meet with the City twice a year to discuss broad categories of programming.

• Verizon has agreed to post on its Web site, and provide to the leasing or sales office of each multiple-dwelling unit with which it has executed a marketing agreement for cable service, an Annual Cable Consumer Report Card setting forth the following information:
  1. Customer service performance information, including the percentage of calls answered by voice response units; the percentage of calls abandoned by voice response units; and the percentage of busy calls by voice response units;
  2. Subscriber rights and remedies;
  3. Price of services information;
  4. Content or channel changes and improvement information; and
  5. Significant Outage information.

As a result of today’s vote, Verizon must now obtain approval from the State Public Service Commission before providing services to New York City residents.
The City’s remaining cable franchise holders, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, are now set to begin negotiations with the City with respect to renewing their existing contracts. 
“New York City can now be viewed as a national leader in cable consumer protection,” Thompson said. “These new measures add a level of transparency and accountability that were non-existent in previous agreements and will serve as a blueprint for future negotiations.”

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