Improve Cable Service Complaint Resolutions.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1085

Short Title: Improve Cable Service Complaint Resolutions. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Buansi, Ward, and Longest (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 30, 2026
*H1085-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ADD AN ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM AVAILABLE TO THE CONSUMER 2
PROTECTION DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR REPEAT 3
VIOLATIONS COMMITTED BY A CABLE SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE FEDERAL 4
CUSTOMER SERVICE REQ UIREMENTS OR THE TER MS AND CONDITIONS OF 5
THE CABLE SERVICE PROVIDER'S AGREEMENT WITH CUSTOMERS. 6
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 7
SECTION 1. G.S. 66-356 reads as rewritten: 8
"§ 66-356. Service standards and requirements. 9
… 10
(c) Complaints. – The Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office is 11
designated as the State agency to receive and respond to receive, investigate, and resolve 12
customer complaints concerning cable services. Persistent or repeated violations o f the federal 13
customer service requirements or the terms and conditions of the cable service provider's 14
agreement with customers are unfair or deceptive acts or practices under G.S. 75-1.1. 15
To facilitate the resolution of customer complaints, the cable ser vice provider must include 16
the following statement on the customer's bill: "If you have a complaint about your cable service, 17
you should first contact customer service at the following telephone number: (insert the cable 18
service provider's customer service telephone number). If the cable service provider does not 19
satisfactorily resolve your complaint, contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney 20
General's Office of the State of North Carolina (insert information on how to contact the 21
Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office). 22
Two or more violations of the same federal customer service requirement or the same term 23
and condition of the cable service provider 's agreement with customers are unfair or deceptive 24
acts or practices under G.S. 75-1.1. Additionally, the Division may bring a civil action for 25
forfeiture of revenue received from subscribers to the cable service (i) in the area where the 26
violations were c ommitted for the period during which the violations were committed and (ii) 27
who were directly affected by the violations. A forfeiture does not affect the liability of the cable 28
service provider for sales tax due under G.S. 105-164.4 on cable service. The amount required to 29
be forfeited in the action must be remitted to the Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund established 30
in G.S. 115C-457.2. 31
… 32
(e) Report to Revenue Laws Study Committee. – The Consumer Protection Division of 33
the Attorney General's Office must report to the Revenue Laws Study Committee on or before 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1085-First Edition
April 1 of each year, beginning April 1, 2008, year on the following information concerning cable 1
service complaints the Division has received from cable customers under this section: 2
(1) The number of customer complaints. 3
(2) The types of customer complaints. 4
(3) The different means of resolving customer complaints. 5
(f) Construction. – Nothing in this section shall be construed as applying to video 6
streaming services. For purposes of this subsection, the term "video streaming service" means an 7
entity that makes available directly to the consumer, through a distribution method that uses 8
internet protocol, video programming or video content the entity makes available for users to 9
view." 10
SECTION 2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 11
Justice the sum of one hundred thirty -three thousand dollars ($133,000) in recurring funds for 12
the 2026-2027 fiscal year to be used to hire one Administrative Specialist I and one Program 13
Coordinator to focus on complaints received under G.S. 66-356(c), as amended by Section 1 of 14
this act. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Justice the sum of 15
five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to 16
be used for costs incurred from implementing G.S. 66-356(c), as amended by Section 1 of this 17
act. 18
SECTION 3. Section 2 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2026. The remainder of 19
this act becomes effective June 1, 2027, and applies to violations committed on or after that date. 20