Bill Text: NJ A4100 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Concerns certain streaming services and public broadcasting funding.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-02-19 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [A4100 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A4100-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Concerns certain streaming services and public broadcasting funding.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning certain streaming services and public broadcasting funding and supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that public, educational, and governmental channels play an important role in the dissemination of public and community affairs, educational, cultural, instructional, and emergency information to the public at large within the State. This act ensures the continued support for these channels.
2. a. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill:
"Authority" means the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority or any successor agency.
"Board" means the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities or any successor agency.
"Customer" means any individual or legal entity in New Jersey who receives video streaming entertainment services and does not further distribute such services.
"Fund" means the "Streaming Entertainment Fund" established pursuant to subsection c. of this section.
"Gross receipts" means all revenue received directly or indirectly by a streaming entertainment service provider arising from, attributable to, or in any way derived from the sale of video streaming entertainment services in New Jersey. "Gross receipts" shall not include bad debts, investment income, refunded deposits, or any taxes on services furnished by streaming entertainment service providers and imposed directly upon any user by the local, state, federal or other governmental unit.
"Public broadcasting" means the same as that term is defined in section 2 of P.L.1968, c.405 (C.48:23-2).
"Public, educational, and governmental channel" means a non-commercial local programming cablecast without advertising for use by individuals in a community; for use by school systems and colleges according to local needs and the franchise; or for use by governmental entities to cablecast public meetings, governmental messages and other information. Public, educational, and governmental channel does not include any channel owned, controlled, managed, and programmed by a local cable operator.
"Streaming entertainment service provider" means an individual, corporation or other legal entity that provides video streaming entertainment service to customers and earns more than $250,000 in annual gross receipts for providing video streaming entertainment services.
"Video programming" means the same as that term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1972, c.186 (C.48:5A-3).
"Video streaming entertainment service" means any service that is delivered through facilities on or in part on the public rights-of-way that provides video programming primarily for the purpose of entertainment for a fee on a subscription basis to a customer. "Video streaming entertainment service" shall not include any cable service defined in 47 U.S.C. s.522(6).
b. Notwithstanding any law, rule, regulation, or order to the contrary, there is imposed on each streaming entertainment service provider an assessment at the rate of five percent of the streaming entertainment service provider's gross receipts. Each streaming entertainment service provider shall file, in a manner prescribed by the Board of Public Utilities, on or before July 1 of each year:
(1) a financial statement reporting its gross receipts for the previous calendar year or portion of the previous calendar year after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill); and
(2) payment for any corresponding assessment.
c. There is established in the Board of Public Utilities a nonlapsing fund to be known as the "Streaming Entertainment Fund." The fund shall be administered by the board and shall be credited with:
(1) moneys deposited into the fund by the board pursuant to subsection b. of this section;
(2) moneys that are appropriated by the Legislature; and
(3) any return on investment of moneys deposited in the fund.
Moneys in the fund shall be used by the board solely for the purpose of supporting public broadcasting and public, educational, and governmental channels and dispersed in a manner prescribed by the board, in consultation with the authority.
d. The board shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a statutory mechanism for supporting public, educational, and governmental channels which play an important role in the dissemination of public and community affairs, educational, cultural, instructional, and emergency information to the public at large within the State.
This bill imposes on each streaming entertainment service provider an assessment at the rate of five percent of the streaming entertainment service provider's gross receipts. The bill further creates the "Streaming Entertainment Fund" and requires the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, in consultation with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority, to disperse moneys from the fund solely for the purpose of supporting public broadcasting and public, educational, and governmental channels.
As used in the bill, "video streaming entertainment service" means any service that is delivered through facilities on or in part on the public rights-of-way that provides video programming primarily for the purpose of entertainment for a fee on a subscription basis to a customer. As used in the bill, the term shall not include any cable service defined in 47 U.S.C. s.522(6).
