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| If the Internet becomes a public utility, you'll pay more. Here's why. |
| 2015-01-07 |
| [BLOGS.REUTERS] The Federal Communications Commission is in the middle of a high-stakes decision that could raise taxes for close to 90 percent of Americans. The commission is considering whether to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service and, in doing so, Washington would trigger new taxes and fees at the state and local level. The agency would like to make Internet service a public utility, placing broadband under Title II regulation of the Communications Act of 1934. This move would make broadband subject to New Deal-era regulation, and have significant consequences for U.S. taxpayers. Under this decision to reclassify broadband, Americans would face a host of new state and local taxes and fees that apply to public utilities. These new levies, according to the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), would total $15 billion annually. On average, consumers would pay an additional $67 for landline broadband, and $72 for mobile broadband each year, according to PPI?s calculations, with charges varying from state to state. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 I am trying to set up Rantburg-Pneumateek which will be a synopsis of all my comments as well as a few others. The cost of getting le tube to Alaska Paul is slowing the project, however, Inwill show interest to the Chineese. All the right people will want the tube in time. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2015-01-07 18:52 |
| #6 I'll miss Rantburg and Drudge when I go off the grid but I'm beginning to think that sooner rather than later I must. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2015-01-07 12:01 |
| #5 Anguper Hupomosing9418 ADSL is asymmetric WRT bandwidth direction, so if you're using that (plus adding some time for it to be "processed") it doesn't sound too unlikely. The test is for YOU to download it. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2015-01-07 07:51 |
| #4 Lots of things that can be done, aren't. The rent seekers have taken over broadband in the USA. Case in point: I uploaded a DVD of a 45 min. lecture online for a cousin in South Korea. Took me 16 hours to upload it to live.com, took him 16 minutes to download. We pay about the same bill for the service we get in our respective countries. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2015-01-07 06:58 |
| #3 So no its not a disaster if its handled correctly. GIVERnment = Disaster |
| Posted by: Airandee 2015-01-07 06:49 |
| #2 No, wrong. Not if it follows the Texas model for electricity. One company maintains the wires to the headend, and is heavily regulated as a public utility. The others generate power to put onto those wires, and are *very* competitive with lots of choices. Same could be done with data. Municipality or local Telcos, CLECs and Cable spin off their plants into regulated monopolies, and sell bandwidth and content over that plant. Plant is maintained to a given standard, say, gigabit fiber, like FIOS. So no its not a disaster if its handled correctly. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2015-01-07 00:32 |
| #1 It's more likely that whether or not the internet becomes a public utility, I'll pay more. Never lower prices! |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2015-01-07 00:14 |