Satellite Tax: Don't tax the air
The Issue
Families, rural communities and immigrants from Maine to Washington, California to Florida and all points in between depend on television and Internet service to get the news, watch their favorite sports team, or catch the latest episode of their favorite show. But new taxes imposed only on satellite TV tilt the playing field in favor of cable companies and stifle competition in the pay TV market.
Communities are allowed to assess a franchising fee on cable companies for the use of public rights of way & roads to run their cable. Cable companies want the same rent to be levied on satellite providers, but it's an argument that doesn't hold any merit.
The Reality
Satellite offers superior services and doesn't require the use of community roadways or infrastructure, so a surcharge on our customers can only be seen as a discriminatory tax that the cable industry is using to weaken a key competitor in the marketplace and stifle competition in the pay TV market. When that happens, service gets worse and prices go up for you and all customers.
To make matters worse, the proposed taxes unfairly punish families living in rural and lower income parts of the country where only satellite TV chooses to go, as well as the many families who depend on foreign language programming offered only by satellite TV.
How You Can Help
Americans simply cannot afford another tax right now. Television is our connection to the world which provides numerous benefits to our communities, so don't let our law makers tax it away.
Find out if there's pending legislation in your state by clicking the button below. We ask that you contact your local lawmakers to tell them you don't want them to unfairly raise your satellite bill.