Altice USA and Greenlight Networks say NY fiber tax repeal will speed rollouts

Frontier Communications, Altice USA and Greenlight Networks praised New York officials for scrapping fees commonly referred to as the state’s “fiber optic tax,” claiming the move will allow them to reallocate thousands of dollars toward deployments and speed broadband rollouts. The “fiber optic tax” refers to fees that in recent years were levied on fiber companies looking to use state-owned rights of way. In New York’s state budget for fiscal year 2020, legislators estimated such fees would generate $15 million in revenue for fiscal 2020, $30 million in fiscal 2021 and $50 million annually thereafter. But politicians repealed the fees as part of the state’s recently approved fiscal 2022 budget. State Senator Tom O’Mara said in a statement “This ‘fiber tax’ repeal is the single most important action the state can immediately take to try to ensure that broadband development across rural, upstate New York receives an equal and fair commitment.”