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Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that would continue to prohibit utility companies — providers that supply and maintain electricity, water, gas, telephone, broadband and cable access — from disconnecting their services for customers who cannot afford them during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The extended moratorium will expire either 180 days after New York state lifts the COVID-19 state of emergency or 180 days after Dec. 31, whichever date comes first, according to the press release. 

The legislation will not eliminate the payments for customers. The moratorium requires utility services to offer a “deferred payment agreement,” which contains no extra charges due to late payments, according to the press release.

The bill helps support New York families as the state moves toward the end of the pandemic, Cuomo said in the release.

On May 4, Gov. Cuomo extended New York state’s moratorium that prohibits evictions for tenants and business owners until Aug. 31.

Cable and broadband internet are included in the services protected, expanding on the previous iteration of the moratorium. 

New York state was the first in the nation to enact a statewide moratorium prohibiting utility services from shutting off their customers’ services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo said. 

“Utility companies provide essential services, and we need to make sure they continue to provide them in every situation, especially to those individuals who have suffered the most from COVID and are struggling to make ends meet,” Cuomo said in the press release.

The bill was passed in the New York State Senate on March 30 and passed in the state assembly the next day. The moratorium was sponsored by Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), and Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse), was one of eight co-sponsors. 

“Many have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own and consequently cannot pay their utility bills,” Parker said in the press release. “This utility moratorium protects them as we rebuild the economy and put people back to work.”

In the New York State Assembly, Assemblywoman Diana Richardson (D-Brooklyn), sponsored the bill. Crystal People-Stokes, Amy Paulin, Richard Gottfried, and Vivian Cook co-sponsored the bill in the assembly along with 21 others. 

“At a time when people are focused on health and safety, maintaining and expanding the existing utility shut off moratorium is essential to helping New Yorkers avoid increased hardship, and ensuring they are able to maintain their quality of life,” Richardson said in the release.

Published on May 12, 2021 at 10:22 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard