Section 7523 - Rate of charge(a) Beginning on July 1, 2014, the rate of charge shall be two percent of retail telecommunications service.(b) Beginning on July 1, 2019, the rate of charge established under subsection (a) of this section shall be increased by four-tenths of one percent of retail telecommunications service, and the monies collected from this increase shall be transferred to the Vermont Community Broadband Fund established under section 8083 of this title, and up to $120,000.00 shall be used to fund a Rural Broadband Technical Assistance Specialist whose duties shall include providing outreach, technical assistance, and other support services to communications union districts established pursuant to chapter 82 of this title and other units of government, nonprofit organizations, cooperatives, and for-profit businesses for the purpose of expanding broadband service to unserved and underserved locations. Support services also may include providing business model templates for various approaches, including formation of or partnership with a cooperative, a communications union district, a rural economic development infrastructure district, an electric utility, or a new or existing Internet service provider as operator of the network.(c) Universal Service Charges imposed and collected by the fiscal agent under this subchapter shall not be transferred to any other fund or used to support the cost of any activity other than in the manner authorized by this section and section 7511 of this title.Amended by 2021 , No. 71, § 7b, eff. 6/8/2021.Added 1993, No. 197 (Adj. Sess.) , § 5; amended 1995, No. 182 (Adj. Sess.) , § 7, eff. 5/22/1996; 2005, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.) , § 2; 2013, No. 190 (Adj. Sess.) , § 7, eff. 6/16/2014; 2019 , No. 79 , § 2, eff. 6/20/2019.