Bill > A3656

Introduced Session

This bill requires a cable television (CATV) company, in an application for municipal consent or a system-wide franchise, to commit to providing CATV service to the entire territory of a municipality or to all households within the CATV company's service territory, and to provide at least broadband Internet service speed, as defined in federal law, before the CATV company may allow paid prioritization of Internet network traffic to the franchise area. "Paid prioritization" is defined as the management of a CATV company's Internet service network speed to directly or indirectly favor certain Internet network traffic over other Internet network traffic, including, but not limited to, use of techniques such as Internet network traffic shaping, prioritization, resource reservation, or other forms of preferential Internet network traffic management, either in exchange for consideration from a third party or to benefit an affiliated entity. Nothing in this bill is to prohibit a CATV company from offering tiered Internet speed packages to customers prior to fulfilling the commitments under the bill. Current law allows the BPU to impose fines or revoke or suspend a CATV company's franchise for the failure of a CATV company to conform to the commitments made in a franchise application. Current law also allows the board to enforce the provisions of the application through any appropriate method.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Don Guardian (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document