The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)
Maintaining effective and efficient communications services, 911 emergency systems, communications-related public policy programs to promote universal service, and various local programs across the state benefits all persons with access to the telecommunications system.
(b)
Providers of end-use communications services, including providers of mobile voice telecommunications services, which the Federal Communications Commission terms mobile telephony service, are required to collect and remit communications taxes, fees, and surcharges on various types of communication
service revenues, as provided by existing state or local law.
(c)
Consumers purchase prepaid mobile telephony services at a wide variety of retail locations and other distribution channels, as well as through service providers.
(d)
Prepaid mobile telephony services are an important and growing segment of the communications industry. Prepaid mobile telephony services are often the only means by which persons with low incomes can obtain limited access to the telecommunications system.
(e)
To ensure equitable contributions from end-use consumers of postpaid and prepaid mobile telephony services in this state, there should be standardization with respect to the method used to collect communications taxes, fees, and
surcharges from end-use consumers of prepaid mobile telephony services.
(f)
Prepaid mobile telephony services are frequently sold by a third-party retailer that is not the provider of mobile telephony services, and collecting taxes, fees, and surcharges from prepaid consumers of mobile telephony services at the time of the retail transaction is necessary and the most efficient and competitively neutral means of collection.
(g)
An equitable distribution mechanism is necessary to ensure that utility user taxes and other telecommunication charges are collected on behalf of cities and counties and are properly distributed to those jurisdictions.