# 119-s-4557: Outage Refund Protection Act

119-s-4557, Outage Refund Protection Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4557
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4557
- Congress: 119
- Title: Outage Refund Protection Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-18
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Automatic refunds for outages by major broadband, cable, satellite, and phone providers.** This bill would require providers with more than 5,000 customers to issue automatic credits when service is unavailable for 4 hours or more and would set federal rules for refunds, customer service, accessibility, and outage reporting. - Households and families would get automatic credits equal to 1/30 of the monthly rate for each day service is down 4 hours or more. If a customer cancels service, credits that exceed the bill must be paid within 30 days by check, a no-fee prepaid debit card, or electronic transfer at the customer's election. - People with disabilities and customers who cannot easily return equipment would gain protections. The Federal Communications Commission would be directed to require accessibility measures and to preserve call recordings for at least 1 year, and the Federal Trade Commission would set standards for missed appointments and alternative no-cost return options. - Providers with more than 5,000 customers would face a uniform refund and reporting regime. The bill would require outage reporting to the Disaster Information Reporting System, allow the FCC to issue enforcement rules within 18 months, and preserve state authority to adopt stricter requirements.

## Provisions PRIA read

- New FCC customer service rules: benefit, medium. If enacted, the FCC would have 18 months to write rules to carry out the outage credit rules and to extend cable customer service requirements to satellite, voice, and broadband providers. The rules would require customer service to be accessible for people with disabilities, require providers to k…
- Rules on returns and appointments: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Federal Trade Commission would have 18 months to make rules about missed service appointments and the burden of returning equipment. The FTC would assess whether returns are too hard for people with disabilities or those who do not drive and could require free alternative return met…
- Broadband outage reporting in disasters: benefit, medium. If enacted, broadband providers would have to report outages to the FCC as soon as possible after the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) is activated for an area. Providers would also have to include broadband outage details in each public DIRS report. The requirement would start when DIR…
- Automatic outage refunds and coverage: mixed, medium. If enacted, covered cable, satellite, internet, and phone companies with more than 5,000 customers would have to give automatic credits when your service is out for 4 hours or more. The credit would equal 1/30 of the monthly rate for each full day the service is down. For phone service the credit w…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4557 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4557)

## Related
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4668)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4557 (as of 2026-09-10).