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Bill would cut assessment on landline/VoIP providers from 33% to 10%; providers say savings will fund broadband buildout
Summary
House Bill 508 would reduce the Department of Energy/PUC assessment on certain landline and IP‑enabled telephone providers from roughly 33% of gross utility revenue to 10%, shifting the assessed amount to other regulated utilities; industry witnesses said the reduction frees funds for fiber buildout in rural areas.
Representative Mike Harrington, sponsor of House Bill 508, told the committee the bill corrects a prior statutory omission and reduces the assessment level charged to accepted local exchange carriers, certain VoIP providers and IP‑enabled service providers from about 33% of gross utility revenue to 10%. "This bill is just a long overdue correction," Harrington said, noting the bill reduces assessment on providers that now receive virtually no regulation compared with the past.
Meg Stone of the Department of Energy told the…
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