N.Y. Public Service Law § 94: General powers and duties of commission in respect to telegraph corporations and telephone corporations

§ 94. General powers and duties of commission in respect to telegraph

corporations and telephone corporations. 1. The commission and each

commissioner shall have power and authority to administer oaths in all

parts of the state to witnesses summoned to testify in any inquiry,

investigation, hearing or proceeding and also to administer oaths in all

parts of the state whenever the exercise of such power is incidentally

necessary or proper to enable the commission or a commissioner to

perform a duty or to exercise a power.

2. The commission shall have general supervision of all telegraph

corporations, telephone corporations and telegraph lines and telephone

lines within its jurisdiction as hereinbefore defined and shall have

power to and shall examine the same and keep informed as to their

general condition, their capitalization, their franchises and the manner

in which their lines and property are leased, operated or managed,

conducted and operated with respect to the adequacy of and accommodation

afforded by their service and also with respect to the safety and

security of their lines and property, and with respect to their

compliance with all provisions of law, orders of the commission,

franchises and charter requirements. The commission shall have power

either through its members or inspectors or employees duly authorized by

it to enter in or upon and to inspect the property, equipment,

buildings, plants, factories, offices, apparatus, machines, devices and

lines of any telegraph corporation or telephone corporation.

3. The commission and each commissioner shall have power to examine

all books, contracts, records, documents and papers of any telegraph

corporation or telephone corporation and by subpoena duces tecum to

compel the production thereof, or of duly verified copies of the same or

of any of them.

4. The commission shall require, with respect to any charge for the

installation or initiation of service of a residential telephone line,

or any nonrecurring maintenance service charge with respect to a

residential telephone line or equipment, that any telephone corporation

imposing such a charge offer a plan for the deferred payment thereof in

installments over a period of up to one year. For the purposes of this

subdivision, charges for initiation of service are charges for the

connection of service including but not limited to charges for central

office line, premises visit, inside wire and jacks, and any related

service.