FCC eyes tax on Internet service

[MrColin]

They should tax phony news outlets instead.

 

[her209]

Or, since you live in a city you do not get to eat.

Everyone knows you can not grow food in cement.




Farmers are what make your food possible.

If you want food, why dont you move to the country and grow your own? Otherwise, starve.

That's a bad comparison. Where are the farmers subsidizing the costs of growing and transporting their produce? All the costs and profit to the farmers are rolled into the price.

 

[Texashiker]

That's a bad comparison. Where are the farmers subsidizing the costs of growing and transporting their produce?

I think its a good comparison. Rural areas get to keep our food, and cities get to keep their high speed internet.

To bring high speed internet to rural areas, why doesn't the government do something like the Rural Electrification Act.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Electrification_Act

Today, it seems that service providers want the government to pay for everything.

The FCC tax on internet seems like its a way of subsidizing service providers.

~ EDIT ~

I want to add that my dad did not get electricity until he was like 6 or 7 years old, which would have been around 1954 or 1955. The only way electricity was brought to parts of rural eat Texas was through the Rural Electrification Act.

Here we are in the 21st century and we can not get internet in rural areas without some kind of subsidy from the government through a tax?

Why should industry do anything if the government is going to tax the people to pay for upgrades?

Good thing the private sector does not own the roads or the post office.

 

[IronWing]

I think its a good comparison. Rural areas get to keep our food, and cities get to keep their high speed internet.

No, it's a terrible comparison. Urbanites already pay farmers for the food, both at the grocery store and through massive farm subsidies. Show us where 1) high speed internet is necessary to farming and 2) why this entitles rural Americans, the vast majority of which who aren't farmers, to subsidized broadband.

 

[Texashiker]

No, it's a terrible comparison. Urbanites already pay farmers for the food,

Why cant yall live closer to rural areas? You know how much money we could save by not having to maintain highways?

The cost of highways is probably more then the cost of upgrading outdated phone lines.

Why are urbanites entitled to highways and paved roads? I am happy driving on dirt roads. Why should I pay so much in fuel taxes when I am happy with dirt roads?

 

[herm0016]

regarding farming and internet, many of the devices used for farming today are connected devices, the tractors, the weather stations, the irrigation systems etc. all benefit from being connected to the internet for reducing down time and having the ability of a John Deere tech to check on your tractor from his office in iowa, or saving water using forecast models with your irrigation system, or having all the weather stations at the farms around you available for local temperature and wind conditions when spraying your crops. Just as having a connected drilling rig reduces down time because the engineer in Houston can watch the progress of the drill rig real time. reducing down time reduces cost.

connecting everyone to the internet may actually drive down cost in the long term.

 

[Modelworks]

Why don't they just call the tax what it is, luxury tax.

The telecom CEO's need someone to pay for the new home in Malibu, and their luxury should tax those of us not worthy of their benevolence. After all, they are the Kings and we are the serfs are we not ?

 

[Fern]

Yea! More transfer payments from urbanites to rural folks. More handouts to support inefficient lifestyle choices. If you move to the country don't expect urban amenities.

How do you get that broadband is an "urban amenity"?

I'm in a city of about 20K, this is, aside from the retirees, primarily a rural agricultural area. I have DSL. The fiber optic cable is about 100' from where I now sit. I'm left wondering WTH do you have to live to NOT already have connectivity? In some far out frozen dinky Alaskan village?

And no, this would not only benefit those in rural areas. Internet purchases are fast growing and I think we could reasonably expect those folks in such rural areas to purchase over the internet and that benefits people and businesses in more urban areas. Also, the federal govt, whether it be the IRS or SS Dept, relies more-and-more on the 'net to perform its functions. Theoretically, a lot of benefits to be had by many parties.

But not sure if I support this or not. It says we're only talking about 19 million people. So, what we are talking about, maybe 8 million households? How many of those actually want broadband? We're talking a very small percentage here. I'm not sure it's worth it.

Fern

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Yeah, keep raising prices with bullshit taxes and see how quickly people just cut the cord to their cable/sat services. These idiots running things better wake up.

 

[Texashiker]

Yeah, keep raising prices with bullshit taxes and see how quickly people just cut the cord to their cable/sat services. These idiots running things better wake up.

If companies would upgrade their lines, there would be no need for the government to get involved.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

If companies would upgrade their lines, there would be no need for the government to get involved.

My lines are fine. Stop living in the woods all you fucking rednecks.

 

[piasabird]

If people want the Internet they should pay for it.

 

[shortylickens]

Actually this is a good thing.

The more taxes the better to get people motivated against the out of control spending and taxation.

There needs to be another shot heard around the world.

The only way to hear it again is more and more taxation and freedom robbing laws.

Keep it up Politicians :thumbsup:

Bullshit. Thats what they said back in the 60's. People still havent taken back their county and its gotten worse. They keep voting for the same assholes year after year, then whine about it the whole time.

 

[piasabird]

FCC cant legally pass a tax.

 

[piasabird]

Tax politicians that receive contributions.

 

[piasabird]

Too many unpaid government mandates, like forcing companies to backup all their old E-mail files. Maybe they should also make the phone company keep recordings of all phone calls.

 

[Exterous]

FCC cant legally pass a tax.

But the FCC has long argued that Universal Service is a fee that the providers choose to pass on to consumers and not a tax.

We've already been paying this fee on other services. If it was allowed on land and cell phones I think there is a good chance it would be allowed on broadband as well