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Telecom industry seeks reimbursement requirement when governments force utility relocations; cities push back
Summary
House Bill 661 would require government bodies to reimburse non-rate-regulated telecommunications companies for costs of relocating infrastructure in public rights of way. Supporters said the change would speed broadband deployment; municipal groups and cities opposed using taxpayer funds to pay private companies’ relocation costs.
Representative Ben Keithley presented House Bill 661 as a mechanism to reimburse telecommunications companies when government projects force relocation of their infrastructure. "Therefore, what the bill does is it requires a mechanism by which the government would have to reimburse those costs," Keithley told the committee.
Telecom industry representatives and business groups argued the bill would remove a barrier to expanding broadband, especially in rural areas. Noel Torpy of the Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association said companies already pay franchise fees and other charges but still incur relocation costs: "We're…
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