ARLINGTON, Va. – In a letter to House and Senate Democratic Congressional leadership, Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), encouraged lawmakers to avoid including a book alternative minimum tax provision for spectrum licenses in any potential alternative to last year’s Build Back Better bill.
Applying a book alternative minimum tax to spectrum acquisition costs would create a 15 percent tax on the licenses needed to deploy America’s 5G networks, slowing down investment and progress towards America’s connectivity goals.
In the letter, Adelstein urged lawmakers to continue the current tax treatment of federal spectrum licenses, which allows companies that acquire licenses at Federal Communications Commission auctions to amortize these auction costs over a 15-year period. He wrote, “At a time when Congress is prioritizing the expansion of broadband infrastructure across the country, changing the current tax treatment would represent a retreat in the march towards reaching the nation’s connectivity goals.”
With wireless providers investing billions of dollars on spectrum licenses, continuing the current tax treatment will allow for faster 5G deployment and more network innovation by freeing up capital for wireless infrastructure investment.
The House leadership letter can be found here and the Senate leadership letter here.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) represents the businesses that build, develop, own, and operate the nation’s wireless infrastructure. WIA advocates for the widespread, responsible deployment of wireless infrastructure to enable mobile broadband for communities everywhere. Media Contact: Marshall Miller | 717-951-0795 | marshall.miller@wia.org
The post WIA Urges Congress to Continue Current Tax Treatment of Federal Spectrum Licenses appeared first on Wireless Infrastructure Association.