Qwest Wants Comcast Taxed Like A Telco > No....

reply to Cheese

Re: No....

Comcast does not look like a telco, does not sound like a telco which does NOT make it a duck.

They're a CableTV Provider. NOT a telco provider. What is their primary business? TV! Not phone.

Then you agree that phone companies shouldn't have to abide by cable franchising laws, right? After all, video isn't their primary service.

reply to puck0114
They don't abide by the same franchising laws.....especially here in Califrnia.!!

reply to Corona
Cable is taxed by the states. Their phone is taxed by the states.

They pay into the Cities for to offer use the phones and required to carry channels to each city. The agreements are made with the cities. I don't think that it is fair for AT$T's crying ass or even VZ to pay the states off to make a State law that does NOT let a cable company use the same agreement because they have agreements with the cities.

Cable companies are NOT allowed by law to cherry pick. ATT and VZ are allowed to. Any one can become a TV provider in Ohio just by paying $2,000 to the state by the sounds and text ATT had the state write up and sign.

TWC, Cox, Buckeye Cable, Charter, Armstrong, WOW, Insight and others are not allowed to do that.

Maybe Qwest wouldnt be in such a mess if they'd lower their prices instead of raising them.

Lower your prices customers will come back and help pay your taxes that they owe. Also if Qwest would build out a network that can compete with Comcast they'd have business.

Qwest lost that boat back when they were paying out the ass to keep iProvo and UTOPIA from coming online. That money should have went to actually build out a new network. The same as ATT should have done with the money they spent at the state levels and battling cities in court over their damn boxes. Use the money and actually build out a new network and play by the rules of the game instead of trying to change them.

reply to hottboiinnc

Re: No....

Not in Ohio.

If you have an active agreement with a city you can NOT apply for a statewide agreement until the city one has expired or an over builder has come into the area.

Go read the Ohio law.

reply to hottboiinnc
Give me a break. Cable is competing from a completely different cost structure, some by their choices and others by government fiat. The ones dictated by the government should be applied equally to all sides regardless of what company is involved.

In all fairness, any taxes should be based on the services delivered.

If you can talk on it, tax it like a telecom service -- VoIP, POTS, Digital Phone (cable), wireless, etc.

If you can watch TV on it, tax it as such -- Cable TV, Satellite TV, IPTV, FIOS, etc.

Furthermore, each ought to be subject to the others' rules. CATV doesn't face any mandatory build out rules ("provider of last resort"). Either they ought to be forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars to meet one customer's service needs that will never meet payback or telco should be released from such requirements.

It is utterly ridiculous that you are arguing the applicable tax code should be based on what each original entity was incorporated for as opposed to the services being offered.

reply to puck0114

reply to GPSrob
POTS would be cheaper if they wouldnt put that line that says "other taxes and fees"

Isn't that the point of this entire discussion? Regulate/tax all services the same regardless of providers. Either all should have that line for a particular service or none should.

reply to ITALIAN926

reply to GPSrob
No do not add taxes to the other providers.

Have you ever called your Telco and asked them what the line of "other taxes and fees" means? They will tell you any fee they're "allowed to add to your phone bill BUT required to do so".

I don't see Comcast doing that. I don't see an extra $15+ on a Comcast, TWC Buckeye Tel, or any other cable provider's digital phone service.

You only get that from the Telco's because they think if they can't get away with charging you more for a service they'll add it in as a "fee" and get away with making more profit.

reply to fiberguy
LOL. well said.

reply to hottboiinnc
well said! if you do your research, 80% of those taxes and fees you see on a telephone bill (not cable) are garbage, its just more free money for verizon/att/qwest, yet everyone is lobbying for the telcos. They suck, my cable phone through comcast works better than my old verizon did anyway

reply to ITALIAN926
VOIP is a completely different technology than pots, and it should be taxed differently.

The great state of UTAH thinks so, and so do i.