STAFF CONTACT :
BILL
SUBJECT
DATE
SUMMARY
The proposed legislation provides victims of domestic violence (for
whom an order of protection
has been issued by a court of competent jurisdiction) with unlisted
telephone directory numbers
without charge.
While well meaning and intentioned, this proposal does not provide
the protection that it is
intended to give. In today's modern world, all one requires is
a computer to access names,
addresses, phone numbers and other personal information without anyone
knowing.
COSTLY PROVISION
The cost of this proposal could be in the multi-million dollar range.
It is estimated that there are
approximately five hundred protection orders issued daily. With a cost
of one to two dollars per
month for unlisted service this will increase the cost of all telephone
subscribers by millions of
dollars. While the intentions are good, the waiving of the fee at the
expense of all customers
seems unfair.
COMPLIANCE ISSUES
The legislation does not deal with phone books that are in circulation
before or after an order of
protection is ordered. This makes it even more difficult for all parties
to comply with such a law.
How would the telephone company police this situation? Does the individual
tell the phone
company that an order of protection has been lifted or does the company
have to track down such
information?
OPPOSED
The Business Council of New York State, Inc. whose membership includes
over 3,600 member
companies, chambers of commerce, and associations, has reviewed the
aforementioned legislation
and is opposed to its enactment.