BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1104
Author: Levine (D)
Amended: 8/25/05 in Senate
Vote: 21
SEN. ENERGY, UTIL. & COMMUNICATIONS COMM. : 9-0, 6/21/05
AYES: Escutia, Morrow, Alarcon, Bowen, Campbell, Cox,
Dunn, Murray, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Battin, Kehoe
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/9/05 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Video provider billing practices
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill ensures that video service customers
are not billed after requesting to have their service
terminated.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/25/05 are technical. They
rewrite the provision to clarify its intent.
ANALYSIS : Current law establishes minimum statewide
customer service rules for video service providers, which
include cable television service, satellite television
service, and another other retail provider of video
service.
This bill adds to those rules a requirement that a video
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provider shall cease charging a customer for services
within seven business days of receiving a request to
terminate service. The bill provides that if the customer
provides seven or more business days notice before the date
for termination of service, the provider shall cease
charging for additional services as of midnight of the last
day of service. A video provider could continue to provide
the service after seven days but could not charge for such
service. The bill states, however, that it does not
prohibit a provider from billing for charges incurred by
the customer prior to the date for termination of service.
Background
Current law provides a number of protections for cable and
satellite television service customers. These include a
requirement to make repairs promptly, posting customer
payments promptly, having knowledgeable company
representatives available to respond to customer telephone
inquiries during normal business hours, and providing
adequate notice before raising rates or deleting channels.
This bill deals with the problem of cable operators
continuing to bill for service after the customer has
terminated the service and paid for the service up to the
termination date. In other words, the customer has
discontinued service, has paid all charges, but continues
to be billed for services which are not delivered.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Aghazarian, Arambula, Baca, Bass, Benoit, Berg,
Bermudez, Blakeslee, Bogh, Canciamilla, Chan, Chavez,
Chu, Cogdill, Cohn, Coto, Daucher, De La Torre, DeVore,
Dymally, Emmerson, Evans, Frommer, Garcia, Goldberg,
Hancock, Harman, Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton, Huff,
Jones, Karnette, Keene, Klehs, La Malfa, La Suer, Laird,
Leno, Levine, Lieber, Matthews, Maze, McCarthy, Montanez,
Mountjoy, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nation, Nava, Negrete
McLeod, Niello, Oropeza, Parra, Pavley, Plescia, Richman,
Ridley-Thomas, Sharon Runner, Ruskin, Saldana, Salinas,
Spitzer, Strickland, Torrico, Tran, Umberg, Vargas,
AB 1104
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3
Villines, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee, Nunez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Calderon, Gordon, Haynes, Houston,
Koretz, Leslie, Liu
NC:cm 8/26/05 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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