HB 0518 |
Neutral | City Franchise Fees on Telecommunications - Change Calculation |
Lee Hawkins |
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|
2/20/2018 |
House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute |
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications |
- | - |
|
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| This legislation reduces the rate which the Georgia DOT may charge for the installation of telephone and other communications facilities in its right to $100 per linear mile annually. Furthermore, it caps the amount of franchise fees a city can charge telephone companies that do not have retail end user customers within its jurisdiction at $100 per linear mile. |
HB 0887 |
Oppose | Wireless Industry Preemption of Local Management of Public Right of Way |
Jay Powell |
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|
3/27/2018 |
Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute |
Ways and Means |
Regulated Industries and Utilities |
- |
|
|
| While this bill began, constructively, as a rural broadband bill, the Senate Regulated Industries Committee stripped and replaced it with the language of SB 426. This wireless industry legislation guarantees authorization for wireless providers to construct and place poles (50' high), antennas (up to 6 cubic feet in volume and 10' higher than poles), equipment boxes (up to 25 cubic feet in volume), plus up to 4 cabinets (undefined size) and other infrastructure in county and city right of way (ROW). Local government management of the above is all but entirely usurped; the grounds by which applications can be denied are few; denials are primed to result in litigation; and then locals are set up to lose.
ACCG
has attempted to work with the wireless providers, legislators and other
stakeholders since last year to try to incorporate safeguards into the
legislation. While some of our recommendations were made, most of these
"concessions" are so wrought with legal loopholes that their
purported purpose has been nullified.
For ACCG's concerns with (and suggestions for) this bill and SB 426, please click here.
|
HB 1012 |
Support | Tax Refund Claims - No Class Actions |
Don Hogan |
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|
3/1/2018 |
House Second Readers |
Ways and Means |
- | - |
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| This bill prohibits class action refund claims for local taxes or fees. |
HR 1539 |
Support | Study Committee on Technology and Taxation in the Public Right of Way |
Brett Harrell |
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|
3/19/2018 |
House Second Readers |
Transportation |
- | - |
|
|
| This resolution, mirroring SR 1019, creates the House study committee on Advanced Communications Technologies and the Use of State and Local Government Right of Way. The study committee (made up of five House members, one mayor, one county commissioner and three experts on communications deployment or taxation issues) will study state and local laws/regulations pertaining to the use public right of way to deploy advanced broadband, video and voice technologies; whether these advanced technologies are, or should be, treated differently than current technologies in terms of regulation, taxation and other matters; and whether state laws should be changed in this area. |
SB 0426 |
Support | Broadband - EMCs and Rural Telephone Cooperatives Authorized to Provide |
Steve Gooch |
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|
3/29/2018 |
House Passed/Adopted By Substitute |
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications |
Regulated Industries and Utilities |
- |
|
|
| Originally, this was the wireless industry's attempt to preempt local management of the public's right of way. The bill was changed in House Rules Committee to allow EMCs and rural telephone cooperatives to provide broadband service to rural areas under certain conditions. |
SR 1019 |
Support | County Right of Way for Telecommunications Deployment - Create Study Committee |
Frank Ginn |
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|
3/27/2018 |
Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute |
- | Regulated Industries and Utilities |
- |
|
|
| This resolution, similar to HR 1698, creates the Senate Study Committee on Advanced Communications Technologies and the Use of State and Local Government Right of Way. The study committee (made up of five Senate members, one mayor, one county commissioner and three experts on communications deployment or taxation issues) will study state and local laws/regulations pertaining to the use public right of way to deploy advanced broadband, video and voice technologies; whether these advanced technologies are, or should be, treated differently than current technologies in terms of regulation, taxation and other matters; and whether state laws should be changed in this area to achieve modernization, fairness and technology neutrality regarding access to the rights of way. |
SR 1170 |
Neutral | Study Committee - Are Local Fees Going Toward Intended Purposes? |
Jack Hill |
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3/29/2018 |
Senate Read and Adopted |
- | - | - |
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| Following much discussion over the past several years regarding the redirection of state-collected fees from their intended purposes, this Senate study committee (consisting of 5 senators) will examine whether or not local government fees are fairly and equitably imposed and whether the monies collected from them are being appropriately used and directed for the purpose(s) for which they are intended. Examples of fees cited by this resolution include: storm water management fees, fire service fees, and traffic add-on fees. |