Minn. House Regulated Industries Committee opened hearings Mon. o...
Minn. House Regulated Industries Committee opened hearings Mon. on telecom reform plan proposed by Gov. Jesse Ventura (Ind.). Panel heard administration’s description of legislation that would be required to carry out his plan. Centerpiece of plan is imposition of…
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state telecom excise tax to support new Minn. fund that would subsidize universal service in high-cost areas, support deployment of high-speed digital services, start $100 million revolving loan fund to encourage competitive local-carrier entry and service rollouts. Meanwhile, rural incumbent telco interests said they opposed Ventura’s plan, saying it would reduce their revenue from intrastate access charges with only partial offset from subsidies. Net effect, said Minn. Assn. for Rural Telecommunications, would be rural rate shock and stalled network improvements that would lead to “economic havoc” in rural communities. Rural telcos said they wanted reforms that would benefit rural and urban areas alike.