Third, telecommunications facilities create additional safety and traffic hazards. An additional concern is the relationship between telecommunications fees, the cable franchise fees, and any current local government telephone line tax. The same issue arises with respect to telecommunications providers. Normal economic theory argues that all producers should internalize the full costs of their production. Three separate legal concerns occur.
None have conclusive answers.
First, there is the problem of local government and state laws that prohibit giving away public resources to private beneficiaries at less than fair market value. As long as the LEC pays little or nothing without a clearly stated policy by the local government articulating why, any charge to other companies will be challenged. Third, the legal status of Internet services is in flux. One percent is a de minimis amount. For example, Bell Atlantic in Washington, D.C., recently announced it would give 1 percent of gross revenues from any subscriber to the Whitman-Walker clinic if so designated by the subscriber.