Sprint Pays $30 Million For USF Overcharging > Illegal USF Tax

Illegal USF Tax

With Wireless and Internet (cable or DSL), USF is becoming less of an issue.
Boonie Telecom can go out of business or charge more.
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Canada = Hollywood North

reply to stevephl
I agree that the USF is excessive, but what about rural areas where dial tone by it self is $98.00 (LaGrange WY for example)? and what of the schools that do get money from the USF to pay for communications? Will you create a new tax (corrupt free I hope) to help these legitimate causes or are they on their own?
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If it is not recorded, it simply does not exist.

Rather than eliminating the USF, it should be overhauled with strict oversight. One post here said "they can provide their own phone service" (?????) If the USF was used with some legitimacy, it could do wonders for rural America bringing broadband to these area's and not just dial tone.

The lack of strict oversight was deliberately built into the USF by members of congress so what makes you think they want to change that.

reply to Dezbend
I would completely eliminate these types of taxes. It is a steal from Peter to Pay Paul scenario and it is not fair to the tax payers. The local school districts can fund these types of programs from the local tax base the fair way to do so. In extreme cases the Federal government has other monies already collected to deal with this. I am more lenient towards schools then private individual subsidized phone service.

reply to Dezbend
In Ohio we actually have the ODoE that has a network set up for the school's Internet and putting the school's voice services on to it. It's funded by the ODoE and MSN (at least MSN had a hand it in at one time). all of our 88 counties are split up into regions and each region is responsible for connecting the schools together and then to their NOC which connects back to the state. All on T-3s and Fiber. The school districts pay very very little if any at all. Many of these regions actually have enough money from the State to lay their own dark fiber between all the schools back to the NOC.

»www.mcoecn.org/ is the MGT body of the service
»www.oecn.k12.oh.us/ is the part that actually is the IT department state wide.

reply to stevephl
Okay, go ahead, and may we rural areas cut off your food, water and electricity to you? Yeah, you have a lot of money and people, you can produce it all youself. You need to look outside your tiny view of the world, and realize there are others outside.

You remind me of a cartoon I saw. It showed this wealthy man, he built this huge house, added security on it, etc. He also was a "why should I pay for things I never use MYSELF" guy? Well, one day his fool proof, expensive systems failed, and his house was being robbed and in the process it was set on fire, he called for help....Well, the recording he heard said "sorry, due to a lack of funding, our police, fire and other public services were ended".

RR Conductor,

I spent over twenty years living and traveling overseas most countries I visited or lived in were much poorer then the poorest counties in the US. We are the most affluent country in the world. My point being that even rural areas which incidentally I live in now can afford telephone and Internet services without demanding other people subsidize their life styles. Living in a Socialist state I can understand your position, "Others owe me a living and benefits" attitude but it doesn't cut it anymore. I pay more then my fair share of taxes. All I am saying if you choose to live in the boonies you should also take responsibility for financing your own services as well. No one is providing me payments for my telephone service or Internet service, I vote in the positive on all local school bond issues so my property taxes are fairly high now. I work my rear end off to provide my family with the necessities of life.
Most food is not grown by conglomerates because the little guy sold off his farm land back int he sixties at highly inflated prices I had a lot of relatives involved in farming and ranching providing food.
But my real question to you is; why do you think you or rural areas need the USF fund in order to produce food, supply water and generate electricity? Please educate me sorry I am only a country boy. I grew up in rural America for the most part, but I lived in San Diego back in the early to early 80's, San Francisco, Seattle, Philly well you see the point I have lived in large cities, small towns and rural county areas.
Your obvious class envy shows through.
Services such as schools, fire, police are funded through taxes that is not the issue, please do not confuse the issue (unless your easily confused
The issue here is the illegal collection of monies from people which include even people living in rural areas across all economic classes to the exclusive use by a small segment of the population. I and my neighbors all decide we want a new fire station in the area do we demand that the entire US pay a "Tax" to subsidize our fire station? No of course not we just raised our property taxes to fund a bond for that construction. The USF is a bad idea. Most people in this country do not have a problem supporting those less fortunate but do have a problem when they are forced into contributing. Incidentally because I have chosen to live in a rural area surrounded by cows, horses, and Antelope I get my services from the city several miles away too that end I pay a premium for those services including water, gas and electricity. I do not demand anyone else support my utility bills why do you?
I provide my own security here, all of the neighbors help each other the way it was intended to work.
You seem to have some issues here maybe you should go sit on a couch and talk about your issues with someone who is able to help you!
I wish you well though

Steve