Bill > S1397

This bill aims to clarify how telecommunications companies are taxed by amending existing laws related to property taxation. Specifically, it modifies how certain property owned by telephone and telegraph corporations is assessed, ensuring that these companies are taxed under a specific section (section fifty-two A of chapter sixty-three) rather than being treated the same as other corporations for certain property tax purposes. The bill also clarifies that the valuation of poles, wires, and underground conduits for telephone and telegraph companies will be determined annually by the commissioner of revenue, with an appeal process available, while other taxable personal property will be assessed locally. Importantly, for the purposes of these tax provisions, "telephone and telegraph companies" are defined to include only those telecommunications companies that provide two-way voice communication over wires or cables and are regulated by the department of telecommunications and energy, and it explicitly states that towers and monopoles for wireless communications will be considered real estate and assessed locally, not as poles.