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Senate advances H.657 to modernize telecom fees, orders further study of right‑of‑way charges
Summary
The Senate substituted and advanced H.657, a multi‑part bill to stabilize 911 funding by moving Vermont's universal service fee to a flat per‑line charge, repeal an outdated telephone property tax, and direct a study of state right‑of‑way charging. Lawmakers debated potential costs of inventorying infrastructure and burdens on broadband providers.
The Vermont Senate on the floor advanced H.657 on a substitute amendment that would change how the state raises money for enhanced 911 and other communications programs and direct a study of charging for use of state rights of way.
Senators substituted the finance committee report with a proposal that divides the bill into three main parts: adopt a flat 72¢ per line contribution to the Vermont Universal Service Fund (replacing a 2.4% charge on voice services), repeal the telephone personal property tax and treat communications property as real property on the grand list, and require VTrans to study how the state’s rights of way are being accessed and how other states charge for that access.
The substitute's sponsor said the fixed per‑line fee would “resynchronize our universal service fee to fund all of our 911 services” and noted the current USF raises just under $6,000,000 annually and has declining revenues as voice services fall out of use. "This bill really has three chunks, designed to modernize our telecommunications…
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