(b) The local service area within which calls are made on a local rather than toll basis in a city with a population of one million or more shall not be changed as a result of the establishment of an additional area code. 3. No telegraph corporation or telephone corporation shall make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any person, corporation or locality, or subject any particular person, corporation or locality to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage in any respect whatsoever. 4. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent any telegraph corporation or telephone corporation from continuing to furnish the use of its lines, equipment or service under any contract or contracts in force at the date this article takes effect or upon the taking effect of any schedule or schedules of rates subsequently filed with the commission, as hereinafter provided, at the rate or rates fixed in such contract or contracts; provided, however, that when any such contract or contracts are or become terminable by notice, the commission shall have power, in its discretion, to direct by order that such contract or contracts shall be terminated by the telegraph corporation or telephone corporation party thereto, and thereupon such contract or contracts shall be terminated by such telegraph corporation or telephone corporation as and when directed by such order. 5. No telegraph corporation or telephone corporation shall sell or offer for sale any names and/or addresses of any of its customers whose listings have been omitted from the telephone company's published directory at the request of the customer. 6. (a) Every local exchange telephone corporation shall include in any directory of telephone numbers it or an affiliated company publishes for general distribution an alphabetical list of interexchange carriers with their federal communications commission assigned identification codes which may be used by the subscribers listed in such directory to access any telephone corporation that originates interexchange service in the local exchange telephone corporation's service area and that agrees to publication of its access code in such directory.
(b) Each interexchange carrier shall be responsible for providing its own identification codes, sorted by geographic area serviced by the individual directories published by each local exchange company or its affiliate. Further, the identification codes for each directory shall be delivered to the local exchange carrier or its affiliate in compliance with the established directory printing closing dates. Those interexchange carriers wishing to be listed in the directory shall bear full responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the list of their identification codes.
(c) Local exchange telephone corporations and their affiliates shall not be exposed to any greater liability for their failure to include such carrier identification codes in their directories than is present in the provisions of filed and approved tariffs dealing with directory listing errors and omissions. 7. Every telephone corporation, as defined in this chapter shall, at its option: (a) allow a customer to use a modified or alternative name for a directory listing or (b) waive the otherwise applicable charges for a non-published telephone listing, where the customer requests protection of its identity in connection with the customer's purchase of telephone service and the customer is a victim of domestic violence, as defined in section four hundred fifty-nine-a of the social services law, and for whose benefit any order of protection, other than a temporary order of protection, has been issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. This waiver of charges shall be for the duration of the applicable, non-temporary, order. Any non-published listings provided in this subdivision shall conform to all the same requirements of other non-published listings. A customer requesting such an accommodation shall provide a copy of the order of protection to the applicable telephone corporation. Any customer requesting an accommodation pursuant to this subdivision may also request and shall be provided, at no cost to the customer, a new telephone number within fifteen days from the request for such accommodation. 8. Every telephone corporation, as defined in this chapter, shall allow a person who is under contract including, but not limited to, a multi-year contract or bundle contract with such telephone corporation, to opt-out of such contract without charge when such person is a victim of domestic violence and requests to opt-out in writing. Such victim of domestic violence shall provide to such telephone corporation any of the following documents, which shall relate to such domestic violence, within six months of the document's issuance: (a) a valid domestic violence incident report form, as such term is defined in subdivision fifteen of section eight hundred thirty-seven of the executive law; (b) a valid police report; (c) a valid order of protection; (d) a signed affidavit from a licensed medical or mental health care provider, employee of a court acting within the scope of his or her employment, social worker, a rape crisis counselor, as defined in section forty-five hundred ten of the civil practice law and rules, or advocate acting on behalf of an agency that assists domestic violence victims. A claim for opting-out of such contract without charge shall be made in good faith. Such telephone corporation shall waive the otherwise applicable charges for such person requesting to opt-out of such contract. * 9. No telephone corporation shall terminate or disconnect any services provided by its infrastructure to a residential service customer or a small business customer with twenty-five or fewer employees that is not a (a) publicly held company, or a subsidiary thereof, (b) seasonal, short-term, or temporary customer, (c) high usage customer as defined by the commission, or (d) customer that the utility can demonstrate has the resources to pay the bill, provided that the utility notifies the small business customer of its reasons and of the customer's right to contest this determination through the commission's complaint procedures, for the non-payment of an overdue charge for the duration of the state disaster emergency declared pursuant to executive order two hundred two of two thousand twenty (hereinafter "the COVID-19 state of emergency"). Telephone corporations shall have a duty to restore service, to the extent not already required under this chapter, at the request of any residential or small business customer within forty-eight hours if such service has been terminated during the pendency of the COVID-19 state of emergency and disconnection of such service was due to non-payment of an overdue charge. * NB Repealed July 1, 2022 * 10. For a period of one hundred eighty days after either the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted or expires or December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-one, whichever is earlier, no telephone corporation shall terminate or disconnect any services provided by its infrastructure of a residential or small business customer account because of defaulted deferred payment agreements or arrears then owed to the telephone corporation when such customer has experienced a change in financial circumstances due to the COVID-19 state of emergency, as defined by the department. The telephone corporation shall provide such residential or small business customer with the right to enter into, or restructure, a deferred payment agreement without the requirement of a down payment, late fees, or penalties, with such prohibition on down payments, late fees, or penalties applicable to all arrears incurred during the pendency of the COVID-19 state of emergency. * NB Repealed July 1, 2022 * 11. Every telephone corporation shall provide notice to residential customers and small business customers, in a writing to be included with a bill statement or, when appropriate, via electronic transmission the provisions of this section and shall further make reasonable efforts to contact customers who have demonstrated a change in financial circumstances due to the COVID-19 state of emergency for the purpose of offering such customers a deferred payment agreement consistent with the provisions of this section and article two of this chapter. * NB Repealed July 1, 2022 * 12. Implementation of the provisions of this section shall not prohibit a telephone corporation from recovering lost or deferred revenues after either the lifting or expiration of the COVID-19 state of emergency or December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-one, whichever is earlier, pursuant to such means for recovery as are provided for in this chapter, and by means not inconsistent with any of the provisions of this article. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a telephone corporation from disconnecting service at the request of a customer. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a telephone corporation from disconnecting service when it is necessary to protect the health and safety of customers and the public. * NB Repealed July 1, 2022