Milton Select Board Unanimously Backs State Bills to Tax Streaming Services for Public Access TV

MILTON — March 24, 2026 — Milton Select Board backs state bills to extend cable franchise fees to streaming services. The board voted 5-0 at its March 24 meeting to send a letter supporting House Bill 91 and Senate Bill 2556, both titled An Act to Modernize Funding for Community Media Programming, which would impose the existing 5 percent cable franchise fee on streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Milton Access TV Executive Director Shane Brandenburg and former executive director Michael Lynch told the board that cable subscribers in Milton have declined nearly 10 percent annually in recent years, with Comcast's subscriber count standing at 4,151 and Astound's at 266, and that the station's annual budget of $428,000 to $460,000 is now being subsidized from savings. Brandenburg noted that 33 states have already enacted similar streaming fees and that both bills have the support of Milton's state delegation. The board also voted 5-0 to recommend the fiscal year 2027 budget of $155.7 million — including a $500,000 contribution to the special education stabilization fund — for the May 6 annual town meeting warrant, and separately announced that DPW Director Marina Fernandez will leave the town effective May 8.