Tennessee Satellite TV Tax Update

We continue to fight Tennessee's discriminatory $15 tax exemption for cable. On February 15, 2011, we filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to declare the exemption, which unfairly penalizes our customers with a tax that cable customers don't pay, unconstitutional. The Court heard argument on May 19, 2011 and took the matter under consideration.

Over the last two years, the cable industry has been on a lobbying blitz trying to convince state legislatures to impose discriminatory taxes on its main competitor, satellite TV. The vast majority of state legislatures have rejected these discriminatory tax proposals. Unfortunately, a handful of states including Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida, and Utah, have succumbed to cable's lobbying pressure and enacted these unfair tax schemes. The satellite television industry has aggressively pursued legal action against states imposing discriminatory taxes.