H 1085

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