Sen. Jason Lewis proposes small streaming fee to replace lost community media funding
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Summary
Senator Jason Lewis told a Malden-recorded Beacon Hill interview he’s sponsoring a bill to place a modest fee on streaming services so the state can collect and distribute funds to community media stations, replacing lost cable franchise-fee revenue.
Senator Jason Lewis said he is sponsoring legislation on Beacon Hill to create a modest fee on streaming services that would replace the cable franchise fees towns and cities historically negotiated to fund community media.
Lewis said the proposal would require the state to collect the fee from streaming platforms and distribute revenue to local community media stations using a population-based formula so town- and city-run public-access operations have a predictable stream of support. He argued the revenue shortfall has come as more households “cut the cord” and switch to services such as Netflix, HBO Max and YouTube, leaving local access stations with declining cable-derived income.
Lewis framed the bill as modernizing an older funding mechanism rather than creating a new entitlement. He said some other states have explored similar approaches and that the Massachusetts bill would be modest in scale. He also praised Urban Media Arts in Malden and called community media crucial to transparency—broadcasting local government meetings, youth sports and community events.
Lewis said the bill is under development on Beacon Hill and would face the usual legislative steps (House passage and the governor’s signature) before becoming law. He did not provide specific fee levels or an implementation timetable during the interview.
