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Taxes, surcharges and fees - California
Taxes, surcharges and fees defined
Review our guide to understand the taxes listed on your services bill, including district-specific fees.
Defined in the tax definitions chart are the who, what, and where for each type of charge that may appear on your bill. Also, a legend shows the key codes that represent which type of service and who is being charged.
Legend
Key codes for the Tax Definitions Guide represent the type of service and who is being charged.
| Key | Tax Type | Key | Imposed On |
|---|---|---|---|
| T | Telephone (Voice) | C | Customer |
| C | Cable (Video) | A | Astound |
| D | Data (Internet) | A,P | Astound, passed through to customer |
| M | Mobile | S | Surcharge imposed by Astound |
Also in this region
See the Tax Definitions Guide for each state in this region:
| TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE | TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR: Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON: Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION | LOCATION: Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Excise Tax | T | C | A federal tax on local telephone services and surcharges. | Telephone |
| Federal Universal Service Fund | T, M | A, P | A federal surcharge on interstate and international telephone services to support universal service programs such as the schools and libraries discount program. The Federal USF may also be assessed on phone surcharges. | Telephone, Mobile |
| Regulatory Fee | C | A, P | This fee is an annual assessment imposed by the FCC pursuant to Public Law 103-66, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. The FCC uses these monies to offset costs associated with its enforcement, public service, international and policy and rulemaking activities. | Cable |
| 911 Tax | T, M | C | The E911 system utilizes a system to route emergency telephone calls to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The enhanced 911 system allows the PSAP operator to automatically see the phone number and address of the person calling. The E911 fee covers the expenses for the E911 system. All lines (residential and commercial) are subject to a monthly E911 charge per line which is imposed by the state, city or county. | Telephone, Mobile |
| State and Local Sales Tax | T, C, D and M | C | A tax levied by a state or local government on the sale or rental of tangible personal property and/or certain services such as telephone and cable services. | Telephone, Cable, Data. Mobile |
| PUC Tax | T, M | A, P | A state surcharge imposed by the Public Utilities Commission on intrastate telecommunication services. | Telephone, Mobile |
| State Universal Service Fund – Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Surcharge | T, M | C | A state surcharge on intrastate telecommunication services to support universal service programs such as the schools and libraries discount program. | Telephone, Mobile |
| CPUC Access Line Fee | T, M | C | A state surcharge to fund California's Universal Service Public Purpose Programs that include Lifeline, deaf and disabled programs, rural high cost support, schools discounts and broadband deployment in underserved areas. | Telephone, Mobile |
| State Telecom Relay Surcharge (DDTP) – DEAF Surcharge | T, M | C | A state surcharge on telephone access lines to support the telephone relay service designed for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. | Telephone, Mobile |
| State Teleconnect Fund Surcharge (CTF) | T, M | C | A state surcharge on intrastate telecommunication services to support universal service programs such as the schools and libraries discount program. | Telephone, Mobile |
| High Cost Fund Surcharge – A (CHCF-A) | T, M | C | A state surcharge imposed by the Public Utilities Commission on telecommunication services to support the service provided in high cost service areas. | Telephone, Mobile |
| California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) | T, M | C | A state surcharge on intrastate telecommunication services to spur deployment of broadband facilties in unserved and underserved areas of California. | Telephone, Mobile |
| 988 Behavioral Health Tax | T, M | C | California State excise tax imposed on phone customers to fund the 988 behavioral health crisis hotline. The tax is imposed on a per phone line basis. | Telephone, Mobile |
| Franchise Fee – Cable | C | A, P | A fee paid to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate a cable television system within that municipality. This is pursuant to requirements of the California Public Utility Commission issued statewide video franchise, and is normally assessed on all cable revenue. | Cable |
| PEG Access Fee | C | A, P | This fee is part of the Franchise agreement and is passed through to cable subscribers. The fee is to support Public, Educational, and Governmental facilities, equipment and services. | Cable |
| City/County Utility User Tax | T, C, M | C | A tax levied by a city or county to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate cable television system or to provide telecommunication services within that municipality. | Telephone, Cable, Mobile |
| Subscriber Line Charge | T | S | Monthly recurring charge applied to all phone line, trunk, and PRI services offered pursuant to Astound's State tariffs and/or price lists. There are no exemptions associated with this product charge. Rates are subject to change.This charge is not government mandated nor a tax or fee imposed on you by the government. It is a surcharge Astound assesses and retains. | Telephone |
| Internet Infrastructure Fee | D | S | A fee to defray costs associated with building and maintaining Astound’s fiber rich broadband network, as well as the costs of expanding network capacity to support the continued increase in customers’ average bandwidth consumption. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed on you by the government. This is a fee that Astound assesses and retains. | Data |
| Regulatory Administration Fee | T | S | This fee is assessed to recover the cost of complying with certain federal impositions related to voice service. It is a monthly charge to defray a portion of the fees paid to support government programs such as Telecommunications Relay Service and Local Number Portability, along with other charges assessed by the FCC, and additional indirect costs associated with administering and complying with government programs. This charge is not a customer tax or fee assessed by a government agency. It is a surcharge Astound assesses and retains. | Telephone |
| Local Broadcast Cable TV | C | C | Local Broadcast Cable TV provides access to local networks and shopping channels. It is required in order to access additional tiers of video service including Expanded Content, Digital Content Tiers, and Premium channels. | Cable |
| Local TV Station Fee | C | C | TV Stations levy a separate monthly fee for carriage of their content. This fee is applied to all TV packages to help offset the overall costs of providing programming content for local and regional broadcast television signals and is in addition to Local Broadcast Cable TV. | Cable |
| Expanded Content Fee | C | C | Cable networks levy a separate monthly fee for carriage of their content. This fee is applied to the Expanded Content TV package to help offset overall costs of providing programming content for cable television signals and is in addition to Local Broadcast Cable TV. | Cable |
| Interactive Equipment Fee | C | C | This fee provides access to the On-screen guide, On Demand, and Digital Music Channels. Applies on the first piece of interactive equipment. | Cable |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Federal Excise Tax
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A federal tax on local telephone services and surcharges.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Federal Universal Service Fund
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
A, P
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A federal surcharge on interstate and international telephone services to support universal service programs such as the schools and libraries discount program. The Federal USF may also be assessed on phone surcharges.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Regulatory Fee
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
A, P
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
This fee is an annual assessment imposed by the FCC pursuant to Public Law 103-66, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. The FCC uses these monies to offset costs associated with its enforcement, public service, international and policy and rulemaking activities.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
911 Tax
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
The E911 system utilizes a system to route emergency telephone calls to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The enhanced 911 system allows the PSAP operator to automatically see the phone number and address of the person calling. The E911 fee covers the expenses for the E911 system. All lines (residential and commercial) are subject to a monthly E911 charge per line which is imposed by the state, city or county.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
State and Local Sales Tax
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, C, D and M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A tax levied by a state or local government on the sale or rental of tangible personal property and/or certain services such as telephone and cable services.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Cable, Data. Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
PUC Tax
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
A, P
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A state surcharge imposed by the Public Utilities Commission on intrastate telecommunication services.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
State Universal Service Fund – Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Surcharge
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A state surcharge on intrastate telecommunication services to support universal service programs such as the schools and libraries discount program.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
CPUC Access Line Fee
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A state surcharge to fund California's Universal Service Public Purpose Programs that include Lifeline, deaf and disabled programs, rural high cost support, schools discounts and broadband deployment in underserved areas.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
State Telecom Relay Surcharge (DDTP) – DEAF Surcharge
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A state surcharge on telephone access lines to support the telephone relay service designed for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
State Teleconnect Fund Surcharge (CTF)
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A state surcharge on intrastate telecommunication services to support universal service programs such as the schools and libraries discount program.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
High Cost Fund Surcharge – A (CHCF-A)
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A state surcharge imposed by the Public Utilities Commission on telecommunication services to support the service provided in high cost service areas.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
California Advanced Services Fund (CASF)
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A state surcharge on intrastate telecommunication services to spur deployment of broadband facilties in unserved and underserved areas of California.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
988 Behavioral Health Tax
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
California State excise tax imposed on phone customers to fund the 988 behavioral health crisis hotline. The tax is imposed on a per phone line basis.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Franchise Fee – Cable
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
A, P
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A fee paid to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate a cable television system within that municipality. This is pursuant to requirements of the California Public Utility Commission issued statewide video franchise, and is normally assessed on all cable revenue.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
PEG Access Fee
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
A, P
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
This fee is part of the Franchise agreement and is passed through to cable subscribers. The fee is to support Public, Educational, and Governmental facilities, equipment and services.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
City/County Utility User Tax
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, C, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A tax levied by a city or county to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate cable television system or to provide telecommunication services within that municipality.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Cable, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Subscriber Line Charge
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
S
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
Monthly recurring charge applied to all phone line, trunk, and PRI services offered pursuant to Astound's State tariffs and/or price lists. There are no exemptions associated with this product charge. Rates are subject to change.This charge is not government mandated nor a tax or fee imposed on you by the government. It is a surcharge Astound assesses and retains.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Internet Infrastructure Fee
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
D
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
S
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
A fee to defray costs associated with building and maintaining Astound’s fiber rich broadband network, as well as the costs of expanding network capacity to support the continued increase in customers’ average bandwidth consumption. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed on you by the government. This is a fee that Astound assesses and retains.
|
LOCATION:
Data
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Regulatory Administration Fee
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
S
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
This fee is assessed to recover the cost of complying with certain federal impositions related to voice service. It is a monthly charge to defray a portion of the fees paid to support government programs such as Telecommunications Relay Service and Local Number Portability, along with other charges assessed by the FCC, and additional indirect costs associated with administering and complying with government programs. This charge is not a customer tax or fee assessed by a government agency. It is a surcharge Astound assesses and retains. |
LOCATION:
Telephone
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Local Broadcast Cable TV
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
Local Broadcast Cable TV provides access to local networks and shopping channels. It is required in order to access additional tiers of video service including Expanded Content, Digital Content Tiers, and Premium channels.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Local TV Station Fee
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
TV Stations levy a separate monthly fee for carriage of their content. This fee is applied to all TV packages to help offset the overall costs of providing programming content for local and regional broadcast television signals and is in addition to Local Broadcast Cable TV.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Expanded Content Fee
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
Cable networks levy a separate monthly fee for carriage of their content. This fee is applied to the Expanded Content TV package to help offset overall costs of providing programming content for cable television signals and is in addition to Local Broadcast Cable TV.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE ON SURCHARGE
Interactive Equipment Fee |
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
C
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
This fee provides access to the On-screen guide, On Demand, and Digital Music Channels. Applies on the first piece of interactive equipment.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
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