LOL! FCC Blocks California's 'Text Tax' Plan

California won't be able to text tax messages after FCC ruling

Rest easy California, the state won't be taxing your texts after all, thanks to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). 

A vote scheduled for next month by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that would have added a tax on all texts send in California has been canceled following a ruling made by the FCC on Wednesday. 

Why? Because your texts are classified as an "information" service, not a "telecommunications" service.

"On Dec. 12, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a declaratory ruling finding that "text messaging" is an information service, not a telecommunications service, under the Federal Telcommunications Act, which limits state authority over information services," the CPUC said in a statement." "Prior to this FCC ruling, text messaging was not a classified service under federal law. Under California law, telecommunications services are subject to the collection of surcharges to support a number of CUPC public programs that subsidize the cost of service for rural Californians and for low income, disadvantaged communities, and provided special services for the deaf, the hard of hearing, and the disabled."

"In light of the FCC's action, assigned Commissioner Carla J. Peterman has withdrawn from the CPUC's Jan 10 2019 Voting Meeting agenda the draft decision in Docket R.17-06-023, which proposed to clarify that text messaging service should be subject to the statutory surcharge requirement," the CPUC said in a statement. 

That means that person-to-person phone calls will continue to be taxed in California and that your text messages will stay tax free for the foreseeable future. 

The tax would have increased cell phone users' bills by about 7 percent each, according to Republican state Assemblyman Jim Patterson. 

"You can bet I’ll keep a watchful eye on them for future shenanigans. For now...consider the Text Tax cancelled," Patterson tweeted on Saturday.

Photo: Unsplash


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content