Local government has a duty under general legal principles governing property rights not to give away public property for private use without just compensation. Taxpayers expect their local government to abide by these principles. Local government is entrusted with a duty to protect the investment and ensure that its use for private purposes provides a fair return to the taxpayers who have invested in it. Federal, state, and local governments each have a role in ensuring the goals of the Telecommunications Act are attained and each must respect the authority of others.
Cooperation is key.
It should be the exception and not the rule for one governmental unit to limit the traditional authority of another governmental unit. Telecommunications Task Force. Co-trenching and its importance as a way to minimize street cuts and the costs of providers and municipalities was also stressed. Internet taxation was a new topic at the conference. The Internet Tax Freedom Act provides a six year moratorium on state and local taxes on the Internet and on interactive computer services.