Bill
S 684
New Jersey lets long-term care residents pause telecom, cable, or Internet contracts on admission, hold for 90 days, then cancel without extra fees if still in care.
Status: Enacted as P.L.2025, c.3 (approved January 30, 2025). Effective: "the first day of the 12th month next following enactment" (per statute — approximately one year after enactment).
Purpose
- To let New Jersey residents who are admitted to long‑term care facilities pause, and if necessary cancel, their telecommunications, cable television, or Internet service contracts without incurring additional fees.
Key provisions
- Covered providers: telecommunications service providers, cable television companies, and Internet service providers doing business in New Jersey.
- Covered recipients: New Jersey residents receiving service through equipment located in the State.
- Pause requirement: Upon admission to a long‑term care facility, a service provider must permit the service recipient to pause their service contract without an additional fee. The provider must not resume charging the customer for at least 90 days.
- Cancellation after 90 days: If the service recipient remains admitted after the 90‑day pause period, the provider must cancel the contract without additional charge.
- Verification and form:
- Providers must make a standardized form available on request for requesting a contract pause or cancellation. The form is to be used by the service recipient and a physician.
- If a representative acts on behalf of the recipient, the representative must submit the standard form plus documentation of authority (power of attorney, conservatorship, or guardianship documents).
- Providers may require written proof of admission. If proof is required, a written notice of the request together with a physician‑signed letter attesting admission requirements are met will be considered sufficient proof.
- Equipment: The law does not relieve recipients of the obligation to return provider equipment nor of liability for lawful unreturned equipment charges. Recipients remain responsible for amounts owed on equipment they purchased.
- Definitions: The statute defines “long‑term care facility” to include nursing homes, assisted living residences, comprehensive personal care homes, residential health care facilities, and dementia care homes (all as licensed under NJ law). It also defines provider and recipient terms consistent with existing law.
Procedural / timeline aspects
- The act takes effect on the first day of the 12th month after enactment.
- Legislative history: The bill was amended in committee to (among other changes) convert an original termination model (which included physician orders and a 45‑day notice rule) into the current pause‑then‑cancel approach with a 90‑day minimum pause. The enacted text is reflected in P.L.2025, c.3.
Who is affected
- Consumers: New Jersey residents who receive telecommunications, cable TV, or Internet service and who are admitted to long‑term care facilities — these consumers gain the ability to pause or end service without early‑termination fees.
- Providers: Telecom, cable, and Internet companies operating in New Jersey must implement procedures and standard forms to process pause/cancellation requests, and accommodate verification and equipment‑return processes. Potential short‑term revenue effects could arise from paused accounts and earlier contract cancellations.
- Representatives and health professionals: Physicians may be asked to attest to admission; authorized representatives must provide proof of authority when acting for a recipient.
Limitations / enforcement
- The statute preserves providers’ rights to recover for unreturned or purchased equipment and does not specify additional penalties or enforcement mechanisms beyond the statutory requirements.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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