HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3173        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3109

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act to promote reliable and high quality telecommunications customer service in the Commonwealth..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 159 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 19E the following new section:-

Section 19F. Telephone companies regulated by the Department of Telecommunications and Energy are hereby required to monitor their responses to and requests from consumers for telephone and other telecommunications services.  Each telephone company shall reply promptly to all requests for service by consumers.  If an appointment is made by the company for a representative of the company to come to the home of a residential customer or to the place of business of a commercial customer, and the company fails to arrive at the home or business for the service call at the appointed day and time, the company shall provide a $25.00 credit to the customer’s bill.  Customers shall not be charged by the company for those days when they do not receive full phone service, which shall be determined by the time of the request or notification to the phone company that the customer’s phone service is in need of maintenance or restoration.  Customers shall not be billed for phone service from the time of the customer’s request for phone service maintenance, or the customer’s notification to the phone company that the customer’s phone service is in need of repair, until the time that full service is restored.