 RobIn Deo speramus.Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:3
2 edits | Once you go tax, you never go back. Taxes seems to be our government's solution to all problems. Can't figure out how to fix something? Tax it. Not getting the results we want? Tax it. Private companies not doing what they promised? Tax it.
One problem is that once the government starts taxing (ahem USF), they will never stop taxing. And if they stop, then companies will increase their prices by the same amount of the tax reduction.
And the last problem is, IMO, many in the FCC, FTC, and these other agencies are trying to pander to the private companies because once their term is done at these agencies, they are hoping to get a high paying, comfortable job at these places.
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 pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | ENOUGH! As always, it is another tax. Federal, state, local income taxes, social security and medicare taxes, state and local sales taxes, state and local property taxes, gas tax, water tax, utility tax, cell phone tax, cable TV tax, car tax, excise tax... tax after tax after tax after tax. The average taxpayer probably sees half his income go out the door in all these damn taxes.
ENOUGH ALREADY.
YOU LIVE IN AN AREA WITH NO BROADBAND? THAT'S YOUR FAULT. MOVE OR BUILD IT WITH YOUR OWN MONEY.
STOP ROBBING THE REST OF US TO PAY FOR YOUR LUXURIES.
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Romney/Ryan 2012 - Put a couple of mature adults in charge. |
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Reviews:
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| tax, or subsidy? Without a specific defined policy goal any USF tax on broadband would be wasteful.. It seems the government should be doing more with the taxes on telecom (they already collect... inclusive of grafting $6+ for POT$ FCC line charge) and directing it back into the communities where it comes from.. not for taxes levied in NY to be subsidizing $12k routers in West Virginia they don't need or want... and other fraud, waste & abuse! You're telling me $12k couldn't have brought a fiber line to that library?!? PFFT! |
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 jjoshuaPremium
join:2001-06-01
Scotch Plains, NJ
kudos:3 | Tax on a tax I need to pay USF for my broadband connection and then I need to pay USF for my VOIP line which uses the same broadband connection?
Where will it stop? |
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 n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY | A Reason To Oppose It Frankly, if the carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint support it (I noted that Verizon was not mentioned in this particular article but in another) then it is definitely bad news for the taxpayer. I guess they are all hoping it will be as badly run as the USF and that all they need to do is collect the money, apply it to their profit sheet and never lift one finger to do any real work.
Of course with the do nothing congress, I cannot see them summoning up the votes to block it.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | AT&T, Sprint and Google Support it... Of course they do. They have a sweet tooth and of course they support the idea of the government forcing their subscribers to give them more candy.
Just more corporate welfare. |
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| reply to tmc8080
Re: tax, or subsidy? said by tmc8080:You're telling me $12k couldn't have brought a fiber line to that library?!? PFFT!
In the year the abuse occurred, in West Virginia? No, it couldn't have. Outside of Verizon's FiOS project, fiber costs are well over $12,000 a mile to just string on a pole. That doesn't even include the costs of the CPE at one end and the fiber plant at the other. |
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 LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 | reply to Rob
Re: Once you go tax, you never go back. said by Rob:Taxes seems to be our government's solution to all problems. Can't figure out how to fix something? Tax it. Not getting the results we want? Tax it. Private companies not doing what they promised? Tax it.
Just another instance of government bureaucrats trying to guarantee their jobs by getting control over more and more taxpayer dollars.
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»www.mittromney.com/s/repeal-and-···bamacare
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LinklistPremium
join:2002-03-03
Longport, NJ
kudos:5 | reply to jjoshua
Re: Tax on a tax said by jjoshua:I need to pay USF for my broadband connection and then I need to pay USF for my VOIP line which uses the same broadband connection?
Where will it stop?
It will never stop. Government agencies are like hooked drug users. The are hooked on more and more of the taxpayers dollars to feather their own nests. And only an intervention and rehab will stop them. And rehab starts with throwing all the incumbents in Congress out of office.
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»www.mittromney.com/s/repeal-and-···bamacare
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RobIn Deo speramus.Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:3 | reply to Linklist
Re: Once you go tax, you never go back. said by Linklist:said by Rob:Taxes seems to be our government's solution to all problems. Can't figure out how to fix something? Tax it. Not getting the results we want? Tax it. Private companies not doing what they promised? Tax it.
Just another instance of government bureaucrats trying to guarantee their jobs by getting control over more and more taxpayer dollars. Yes, and while Congress and the Senate debates about the Bush tax cuts, the other agencies are considering increasing/adding more taxes to the American people.
It's a smoke and mirror game.
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| reply to Linklist
Re: Tax on a tax What the Hill article failed to note* is that Rob McDowell, the most conservative Republican FCC Commissioner, is the biggest proponent of this "expand the contribution base" idea.
If Romney wins, McDowell will likely be FCC Chairman.
* they failed to note this b/c it wouldn't fit in with their audience's preconceived notion of how the world exists. |
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| reply to pnh102
Re: ENOUGH! For a change, I agree with you with regards to taxes.. this shit is getting out of hand..
At the same time, broadband is no longer a luxury anymore. It is the next type of communications, same as the telephone was back in the day.
What I do feel should be done, is that telco's should be treated as a dumb pipe, separate from content, and regulated in the same way other utilities are (especially if the telco's get their way and switch to metered billing). Although competition would be nice too.. but that might be asking for a little too much.
As a side note, your statement about moving to a new area with broadband, or paying for it with ones own money is absolutely ridiculous, considering much (with the exception of FIOS) of the broadband infrastructure was paid for with tax payer money, and using easement rights on peoples properties with little that property owners can do (ATT's uverse and those ugly ass cabinets) to prevent it. Why should I pay for service to my house when the companies have been using public funds (either through direct funding, or massive tax breaks). |
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| reply to Linklist
Re: Tax on a tax This is a great comment.... and surprising coming from you.. considering most of your comments have been very polarizing against Democrats.....
I do agree, the entire system is broken, on all sides of the political spectrum, no exceptions..
Unless that was a typo by you.. and you meant to single out the Democrats 
Side note.. I think the major problem with the current crop of congressional and house critters, is that they are too old, and do not understand how things function in todays modern age. Sure they have people who work for them that supposedly understand these things.. but in most cases, they are being driven in the direction of their corporate sponsors.. that is the first thing that needs to change |
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pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | reply to jvanbrecht
Re: ENOUGH! According to the government, only 19 million people out of 305 million have no access to broadband. That comes out to just over 6% of the US population. This is hardly a huge problem anymore.
said by jvanbrecht:At the same time, broadband is no longer a luxury anymore. It is the next type of communications, same as the telephone was back in the day. I agree that broadband for most people is not a luxury, but for the people who do not have it, it is clearly not a deal breaker. You don't see the 6.22% of the population with no access to broadband dying off right and left as you would if they had no access to say, clean drinking water.
said by jvanbrecht:As a side note, your statement about moving to a new area with broadband, or paying for it with ones own money is absolutely ridiculous, considering much little (with the exception of FIOS) of the broadband infrastructure was paid for with tax payer money, and using easement rights on peoples properties with little that property owners can do (ATT's uverse and those ugly ass cabinets) to prevent it. Why should I pay for service to my house when the companies have been using public funds (either through direct funding, or massive tax breaks). All utilities use easements. I'd have no problem if another privately funded provider wanted to make use of easements to offer a new broadband option. As for taxpayer subsidies, that certainly isn't true for most cable companies. And yes, I will agree with you somewhat that if a provider has to use something on your property that significantly disrupts your use of your property, you should be allowed to come to an arrangement that is mutually beneficial (free service from said provider would be nice).
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Romney/Ryan 2012 - Put a couple of mature adults in charge. |
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 firephotoFacts hurtPremium
join:2003-03-18
Brewster, WA | reply to pnh102
said by pnh102:ENOUGH ALREADY.
YOU LIVE IN AN AREA WITH NO BROADBAND? THAT'S YOUR FAULT. MOVE OR BUILD IT WITH YOUR OWN MONEY.
STOP ROBBING THE REST OF US TO PAY FOR YOUR LUXURIES.
Guess what? We built it, publicly owned, fiber. Guess what happened? GTE wrote a law that made a big giant sinking handout to every incumbent ISP and new startup and forbid the utilities from offering an additional service to their customers.
The result? Big areas covered with slower than DSL Motorola Canopy systems starting at $30 a month and going up to $60 a month for 3M service.
So we tried to "PAY FOR OUR LUXURIES" and got screwed by the people who are always whining about taxes.
Quit ignoring the reality out there.
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| Call it a fee If you just call it a fee, Mitt Romney will be leading the charge. He never saw a fee he didn't like. |
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 BIGMIKEPremium
join:2002-06-07
Westminster, CA | reply to Rob
Re: Once you go tax, you never go back. said by Rob:Taxes seems to be our government's solution to all problems. Can't figure out how to fix something? Tax it. Not getting the results we want? Tax it. Private companies not doing what they promised? Tax it.
One problem is that once the government starts taxing (ahem USF), they will never stop taxing. And if they stop, then companies will increase their prices by the same amount of the tax reduction.
And the last problem is, IMO, many in the FCC, FTC, and these other agencies are trying to pander to the private companies because once their term is done at these agencies, they are hoping to get a high paying, comfortable job at these places.
Feds cut off phone tax after 108 years
»www.usatoday.com/money/industrie···ax_x.htm |
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RobIn Deo speramus.Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:3 | reply to rdmiller
Re: Call it a fee said by rdmiller:If you just call it a fee, Mitt Romney will be leading the charge. He never saw a fee he didn't like.
I didn't know Mitt was the President, who appointed the chairman of the FCC.
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| reply to pnh102
Re: ENOUGH! You had me until the very last word... |
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 tshirtPremium,MVM
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA
kudos:3
·Comcast
| reply to firephoto
said by firephoto: Guess what? We built it, publicly owned, fiber. Guess what happened? GTE wrote a law that made a big giant sinking handout to every incumbent ISP and new startup and forbid the utilities from offering an additional service to their customers.
Can you explain this more carefully? Perhaps I missed, something, but I don't remember GTE or anyone disassembling an operational ftt? system. |
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