Bill > S2556

This bill establishes a comprehensive statewide policy for regulating streaming entertainment services and collecting compensation for their use of public infrastructure in Massachusetts. The legislation creates a new legal framework that requires streaming entertainment operators earning over $250,000 annually to pay an assessment based on their gross revenues, which will be used to support public, educational, and governmental (PEG) access media centers. A dedicated PEG Access Facilities Revenue Advisory Board will be established to collect industry data, analyze revenue trends, and recommend an annual assessment rate that ensures PEG access facilities maintain their historical funding levels. Streaming entertainment operators must file bi-annual financial statements and are subject to monetary penalties for late or incomplete submissions. The bill creates a Streaming Entertainment Fund to collect and distribute these assessments, with strict guidelines on fund usage and reporting. Enforcement mechanisms include the ability for the Attorney General and local governments to take legal action against non-compliant operators within seven years of any violation. Municipalities can also establish separate funds to receive and appropriate these streaming entertainment assessment revenues specifically for supporting local media access centers. The primary goals of the bill are to promote competition, protect consumer interests, ensure fair compensation for public infrastructure use, and support community media programming.

Budget and Finance

Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2556