Cell phone tax sails through Oregon Legislature
Oregon lawmakers capitalized on this week’s special legislative session for a quick vote on new cell phone taxes.
The bill passed the House and Senate on largely party-line votes Friday, with the Democratic supermajorities hurrying the measure through amid a flurry of activity as this week’s brief session wrapped up.
The bill, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Kate Brown, will shift the cost burden for funding rural telecommunications services from the dwindling number of landline phones to include the much larger number of cell phone subscribers.
Backers say it will raise the cost of typical cell phone bills by about $4 a year and raise $5 million for rural broadband. Supporters estimate it will save typical residential landline customers around $11 a year.
Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2020/06/cell-phone-tax-sails-through-oregon-legislature.html