Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 218
       
       
        
       By Senator Thurston
       
       33-00446-17                                            2017218__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to cable and video service agreements;
    3         amending s. 610.108, F.S.; providing a definition;
    4         requiring a service agreement to specify in the
    5         agreement whether such agreement will be automatically
    6         renewed under specified circumstances; providing an
    7         effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Section 610.108, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   12  read:
   13         610.108 Customer service standards; service agreements.—
   14         (1) All cable or video service providers shall comply with
   15  customer service requirements in 47 C.F.R. s. 76.309(c).
   16         (2) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
   17  shall have the sole authority to respond to all cable or video
   18  service customer complaints. This provision does not permit the
   19  municipality, county, or department to impose customer service
   20  standards inconsistent with the requirements in 47 C.F.R. s.
   21  76.309(c).
   22         (3) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
   23  shall receive service quality complaints from customers of a
   24  cable or video service provider and shall address such
   25  complaints in an expeditious manner by assisting in the
   26  resolution of such complaint between the complainant and the
   27  cable or video service provider. The Department of Agriculture
   28  and Consumer Services may adopt any procedural rules pursuant to
   29  ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 necessary to administer this section,
   30  but shall not have any authority to impose any customer service
   31  requirements inconsistent with those contained in 47 C.F.R. s.
   32  76.309(c).
   33         (4)(a) For purposes of this subsection, “service agreement”
   34  means a written document that is executed between a cable or
   35  video service provider and a cable or video service customer
   36  which states the rates, terms, and other conditions necessary in
   37  providing the cable or video services.
   38         (b) Each service agreement shall contain a clear statement
   39  in a font equal to or greater than the font used in the service
   40  agreement that specifies whether the cable or video service
   41  provider will automatically renew the service agreement without
   42  the customer’s written consent in the event the customer
   43  transfers the service to a different location.
   44         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.