Will You Soon Pay a State Broadband Tax? > They're already taxing in Virginia

reply to wilbywilson

Re: They're already taxing in Virginia

Ah, you're going to love this one - Congress passed a law saying that states could not impose a franchise fee on Sat TV. In response, the cable companies convinced a number of states to pass NEW taxes (they're not franchise fees, honest) that all TV service providers must pay, and then they let the cable guys take credit for the amount they've already paid in franchise fees - in other words, the cable guys pay what they always have, and the Sat TV guys are now paying the franchise fees as well.

It doesn't matter that the franchise fees are meant to pay for the community impacts (streets, construction, rights of way) of cable installation, which directTV has no role in.

Those states are just inviting their discriminatory taxes to be challenged in Federal Court.