Oct. 27, 2022—A bill introduced last month in New Jersey wants to take action against in-car subscriptions.
According to Jalopnik, Assembly Bill No. 4519 was introduced in September by New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D - Camden and Gloucester.) The proposed bill would make it illegal for automakers to, "impose subscriptions for safety and convenience features, if the components that enable them are already pre-installed in the vehicle," according to Jalopnik.
"The provisions of this bill do not apply to any third-party service provider that offers features such as satellite radio or in-car Wi-Fi," states the bill. Features that are a "live" service or need to have an active investment and development from an entity would still be allowed to use the subscription model.
If enacted, the bill proposes a penalty of no more than $10,000 for the first offense and no more than $20,000 for an additional offense. Jalopnik reinforced that this bill is for subscription services only, meaning that one-time and post-sale charges would still be legal pursuits.
