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Taxes, surcharges and fees - New York
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.
Add this to Legend at end before publish:
| 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 OR 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 |
| State Sales Tax | T, C, D and M | C | A tax levied by a state government on the sale of tangible personal property and/or certain services. | Telephone, Cable, Data. Mobile |
| County or City Sales Tax | T, C, D and M | C | A tax levied by a local government on the sale of tangible personal property and/or certain services. | Telephone, Cable, Data. Mobile |
| State Gross Receipts Tax | T, M | A, P | A tax levied by a state government on telephone services. | Telephone, Mobile |
| School District Tax | T, M | A, P | School districts with territory in cities with populations of 125,000 or less may impose this tax. This tax may be levied in addition to a similar city or county tax or a city or county sales tax. The tax is imposed on all local or long distance intrastate telecommunication charges. | Telephone, Mobile |
| State Excise Tax | T, M | A, P | A tax levied by the state government on telephone services and telecommunication services. | Telephone, Mobile |
| MTA Surcharge | T, M | A, P | A surcharge which is assessed on NY state gross receipts and NY state excise taxes. It applies only to the 12 county Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. The receipts from the surcharge are earmarked for the Mass Transportation Operating Assistance Fund which supports public transportation. | Telephone, Mobile |
| City Excise Tax | T, M | A, P | This is an excise tax New York City imposes on the provider of utility services for the privilege of exercising their franchise, holding property or doing business in New York City. | Telephone, Mobile |
| 911 Tax - State, County or City | T, M | C | The E911 system utilizes a system to automatically 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 respective Public Service commissions. | Telephone, Mobile |
| Franchise Fee - Telephone | T | A, P | A fee paid to a municipality to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and to provide telephone service within that municipality. This is a contractual agreement with the town/city and is usually assessed on all telephone services. | Telephone |
| Targeted Accessibility Fund | T, M | A | The Targeted Accessibility Fund (TAF) was established to fund Lifeline, emergency services (911), and telecommunication relay service (TRS) for the hearing impaired. The fee is assessed on intrastate gross revenue and carrier access charges. The fee is not passed on to customers. | Telephone, Mobile |
| Subscriber Line Charge | T | S | Monthly recurring charge applied to all phone line, trunk, and PRI services offered pursuant to Astound's 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 |
| Port Charge | T | S | This surcharge is assessed only on commercial customers using ISDN and DS-1 products. It is a recurring charge for the use of the port which interfaces and connects the local loop to a high-speed network. This charge is not government mandated nor a tax or fee imposed on you by the government. It is surcharge Astound assesses and retains. | Telephone |
| 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 |
| Franchise Fee - Cable | C | A, P | A fee paid to a municipality to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate a cable television system within that municipality. This is a contractual agreement with the town/city and is normally assessed on all cable revenue. | Cable |
| OVS Fee - Cable | C | A, P | A fee paid to a municipality to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate a cable television system within that municipality. This is a contractual agreement with the town/city and is normally assessed on all cable revenue. | Cable |
| Cable 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 |
| PEG Access Fee | C | A, P | The NYC PEG Access fee provides:for the upgrade, purchase and/or rental of public access facilities and equipment for the City of New York, to assist in defraying the operating expenses of the NYC Community Access Organization (CAO) and the expenses of the activities that the CAO may undertake, for grants to qualified persons for the development of programming for the Public Channels, for the support the programming initiatives of the CAO, for grants to independent programmers. | Cable |
| Municipal Construction Surcharge | D | S | Municipal Construction Surcharge recovers a portion of the expenses Astound incurs from government mandated relocation of its facilities that are in the public rights-of-way to prevent interference with street repairs, public construction projects or other activities required for public health, safety or convenience.This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed on you the government. This is a fee that Astound assesses and retains. | Data |
| Network Access and Maintenance 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 |
| Broadcast Surcharge | C | S | Recovery of a portion of the rapidly increasing costs charged by local broadcast TV stations for carriage rights. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed by the government. This is a fee Astound assesses and retains. | Cable |
| Entertainment Surcharge | C | S | Recovery of a portion of the rapidly escalating charges levied by entertainment networks such as Viacom, AMC, Scrippts Networks and others. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed by the government. This is a fee Astound assesses and retains. | Cable |
| Sports Surcharge | C | S | Recovery of a portion of the rapidly increasing costs of sports related programming. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed by the government. This is a fee Astound assesses and retains. | Cable |
|
TAX, FEE OR 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 OR 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 OR SURCHARGE
State 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 government on the sale of tangible personal property and/or certain services.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Cable, Data. Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
County or City 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 local government on the sale of tangible personal property and/or certain services.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Cable, Data. Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
State Gross Receipts 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 tax levied by a state government on telephone services.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
School District 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
School districts with territory in cities with populations of 125,000 or less may impose this tax. This tax may be levied in addition to a similar city or county tax or a city or county sales tax. The tax is imposed on all local or long distance intrastate telecommunication charges.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
State Excise 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 tax levied by the state government on telephone services and telecommunication services.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
MTA Surcharge
|
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 surcharge which is assessed on NY state gross receipts and NY state excise taxes. It applies only to the 12 county Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. The receipts from the surcharge are earmarked for the Mass Transportation Operating Assistance Fund which supports public transportation.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
City Excise 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
This is an excise tax New York City imposes on the provider of utility services for the privilege of exercising their franchise, holding property or doing business in New York City.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
911 Tax - State, County or City
|
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 automatically 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 respective Public Service commissions.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
Franchise Fee - Telephone
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T
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 a municipality to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and to provide telephone service within that municipality. This is a contractual agreement with the town/city and is usually assessed on all telephone services.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
Targeted Accessibility Fund
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
T, M
Telephone (T), Cable (C), Data (D), or Mobile (M) |
IMPOSED ON:
A
Customer (C), Astound (A), Astound passed through to Customer (A,P) or Surcharge imposed by Astound (S) |
DEFINITION
The Targeted Accessibility Fund (TAF) was established to fund Lifeline, emergency services (911), and telecommunication relay service (TRS) for the hearing impaired. The fee is assessed on intrastate gross revenue and carrier access charges. The fee is not passed on to customers.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone, Mobile
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR 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 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 OR SURCHARGE
Port 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
This surcharge is assessed only on commercial customers using ISDN and DS-1 products. It is a recurring charge for the use of the port which interfaces and connects the local loop to a high-speed network. This charge is not government mandated nor a tax or fee imposed on you by the government. It is surcharge Astound assesses and retains.
|
LOCATION:
Telephone Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR 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 OR 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 a municipality to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate a cable television system within that municipality. This is a contractual agreement with the town/city 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 OR SURCHARGE
OVS 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 a municipality to allow use of the public streets and rights-of-way and operate a cable television system within that municipality. This is a contractual agreement with the town/city 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 OR SURCHARGE
Cable 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 OR 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
The NYC PEG Access fee provides:for the upgrade, purchase and/or rental of public access facilities and equipment for the City of New York, to assist in defraying the operating expenses of the NYC Community Access Organization (CAO) and the expenses of the activities that the CAO may undertake, for grants to qualified persons for the development of programming for the Public Channels, for the support the programming initiatives of the CAO, for grants to independent programmers.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
Municipal Construction Surcharge
|
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
Municipal Construction Surcharge recovers a portion of the expenses Astound incurs from government mandated relocation of its facilities that are in the public rights-of-way to prevent interference with street repairs, public construction projects or other activities required for public health, safety or convenience.This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed on you 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 OR SURCHARGE
Network Access and Maintenance 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 OR SURCHARGE
Broadcast Surcharge
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
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
Recovery of a portion of the rapidly increasing costs charged by local broadcast TV stations for carriage rights. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed by the government. This is a fee Astound assesses and retains.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
Entertainment Surcharge
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C
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
Recovery of a portion of the rapidly escalating charges levied by entertainment networks such as Viacom, AMC, Scrippts Networks and others. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed by the government. This is a fee Astound assesses and retains.
|
LOCATION:
Cable
Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE
Sports Surcharge
|
TAX, FEE OR SURCHARGE FOR:
C 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
Recovery of a portion of the rapidly increasing costs of sports related programming. This fee is not a government mandated tax or fee imposed by the government. This is a fee Astound assesses and retains.
|
LOCATION:
Cable Where on your bill the charge appears in the Tax, Surcharge or Fee section |
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