Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont House Committee on Ways and Means - Discussion of H.657 Modernize Vermont’s Communications Taxes and Fees

Description

Discussion of H.657 a bill meant to modernize Vermont's communications taxes and fees at the House Committee on Ways and Means.

On Tuesday, Rep. Peterson offered an amendment to H.657 in House Ways & Means and House Energy & Environment, to offer more protections to phone company copper lines that might be affected by the bill’s Right of Way charges on internet service providers (twisted pair copper lines would be exempt under the amendment, as opposed to coaxial cable or fiber optic lines). The amendment was found unfavorable by HWM (7-2-3) and HEE (10-1-1), but they did decide to offer a new, separate floor amendment in the House to change an instance of wording in the bill, to clarify language that the Right of Way fee is charged on all physical infrastructure (changing “DSL,” which is a service, to “twisted pair copper,” which denotes the physical lines). The HWM vote on this change was favorable 9-0-3.

H.657 Amendment:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/House%20Ways%20and%20Means/Bills/H.657/H.657~Gabrielle%20Stebbins~Stebbins%20Amendment~3-26-2024.pdf