A.6509 (Rivera N.)

BILL

A.6509 (Rivera N.)

SUBJECT

Orders of Protection

DATE

Oppose

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.

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.

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?

The Business Council of New York State, Inc. whose membership includes over 3,000 member
companies, chambers of commerce, and associations, has reviewed the aforementioned legislation
and is opposed to its enactment.