H. 4045 would generate revenue for the Commonwealth, its municipalities and the community media centers who serve them.
Funding for community media is being threatened both nationally and locally. If passed,
H. 4045 would help to fund not only local media stations, but also will help pay for municipal services and programs we have all come to rely on.
Although several other states have passed similar legislation already, H. 4045 would be the first to specifically name Community Media as a beneficiary.
H. 4045 is not an end-user tax. The bill seeks to ask companies who sell their products over public lands to give back to the people who live there.
Currently, cable companies pay a fee to utilize these same public lands – public rights of way – while digital streaming providers do not.
Introduced by Representative Paul McMurtry, 86 Massachusetts legislators have signed on in support of this bill. Are your local legislators on the list? If so, thank them for their support.
Don’t see their name? Call or write to them and tell them why this bill is important to you.
Watch as Melinda Garfield & David Gauthier discuss the bill with Chris Lovett on Boston Neighborhood Network News.
