If you have cable T-V, you're already paying a five percent fee that goes to state government. Now state lawmakers are looking to impose the same fee on satellite TV providers.
Wednesday night, an Illinois Senate panel voted to add a 5% fee to satellite T-V service. Cable companies say this levels the playing field between the two types of T-V providers. A lobbyist for satellite companies, Damon Stewart, says cable has tried and failed to get similar laws across the country: "Why? Because those state legislatures viewed this attempt for what it is: simply a way to get an unfair advantage over their main competitor, the satellite industry."
But the Democrats on the Senate committee were not persuaded by that argument. They say the fee would create "parity" in the T-V industry. Lawmakers plan to use the new revenue to bolster state funding for education.
