Supreme Court of Alabama March 30, 2001, 1991566 (LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGIES v. Escambia County)

This case concerns the validity of a charge assessed by Escambia County to a telecommunications company that wished to install a fiber-optic cable along the public right-of-way. Because we conclude that this charge is, in reality, an unauthorized tax, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and render a judgment in favor of the telecommunications company, Lightwave Technologies, LLC.