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The Business Council of New York State supports this legislation which would allow the Commission to serve its Orders by electronic mail, reserving to parties the option to receive hard copies if that is their preference.
The bill would conform Public Service Law (PSL) § 23 with State Technology Law (STL) Article III (Electronic Signatures and Records Act (ESRA)), thereby reducing costs, increasing efficiency and expediting public notification by streamlining recordkeeping for electronic issuance of Orders by the Public Service Commission (PSC or Commission).
ESRA, the New York state law which authorizes the acceptance of electronic signatures in most documents, went into effect in August of 1999. The Act was updated in 2002 to make New York state law consistent with the federal E-Sign law. The act provides that "signatures" made via electronic means will be as legally binding as hand-written signatures. It does not mandate the use of, or require a specific form of, electronic signature.
The Business Council supports the implementation of electronic service because of the reduction in the cost associated with printing and mailing.