T-Mobile pays $380,000 for settlement to Columbia

T-Mobile has paid US$380,203.76 as the terms of settlement to the Columbia City Council.

According to the City Attorney Fred Boeckmann, the settlement came as part of a class action lawsuit that several Missouri cities first filed in St. Louis County several years ago.

According to reports, the suit aimed to collect back taxes from T-Mobile and many other wireless phone companies. Missouri municipalities have had a longstanding dispute with wireless phone companies over whether these companies are subject to the same business license taxes as landline telephone companies.

According to City Communications Director Toni Messina, the Missouri Municipal League, a group that lobbies for and represents its member cities, helped earn five or six settlements in several cities. Missouri Municipal League carried the water on this in several cities.

According Boeckmann, Cities throughout Missouri have reached settlements not only with T-Mobile, but with other major carriers such as Verizon and AT&T. The St. Louis County circuit court must accept the settlement at the Oct. 19 hearing, before the more than $380,000 will be released and added to Columbia’s general fund.