LegoPower77
Abecedarian
Premium
join:2002-08-03
Arlington, VA
| reply to ib50MbSoon
Re: I say
My point is that there are trade-offs as to where you live. In the city, you get close access to work, a night life, and of course, less-expensive broadband. But you also get smog, noise, and a high cost of living. In the country, you get nature, scenery, and a quiet life. But you also have to drive ten miles to the store and pay higher prices for broadband. How about we start a fund to help subsidize country people's gasoline bill since they have to drive further to the store?
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»www.gmu.edu/departments/economic···any.html |
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calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA | Uh, actually, you'll find that urban, not rural, folks have longer average commutes....
Calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! |
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LegoPower77
Abecedarian
Premium
join:2002-08-03
Arlington, VA | Perhaps, but the point is the same. |
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dirtcyclr
join:2003-06-13
Montana
|  reply to calvoiper
Re: I say --> Another perspective!
said by calvoiper  :
Uh, actually, you'll find that urban, not rural, folks have longer average commutes....
Calvoiper
Urban commutes may be longer timewise, but not even close in mileage! I've lived under both circumstances (CA Bay Area vs. Eastern Montana). Once again, this is a decision that you have to make based on what you want out of life... I agree that the government should not play a role in evening out what you see as being unfair cost of living (i.e. gas prices and housing costs), economics should control that.
The USF is not about controlling prices, but rather providing a financial avenue for equal opportunity. I think "Americans" should have an opportunity to have access to basic utilities such as telephone, electricity, etc. Technologies such as fiber optics can make it all possible, but "big business" wouldn't even think of doing such a thing because the returns are not in their favor!
It costs over 10 times the national average per local loop to provide POTS where I live, so without USF it would be completely impossible for my co-op to even provide telephone service, let alone any "advanced telecommunications" services such as DSL (which i do have by the way).
I would also like to add that there are now rural areas such as mine that actually have better broadband services than some urban areas. This is not because Universal Service Funds have been misplaced, it is because my services are provided by a smaller company/co-op that believes in offering quality services with a personal touch. The whole USF issue centers around combatting greed and the hunger for power/control, it makes everyone on both sides of the fence unhappy at times. |
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BrooklynZoo
For Everthing Else, There's Mastercard
join:2001-04-01
Atlanta, GA | Interesting perspective.  |
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LegoPower77
Abecedarian
Premium
join:2002-08-03
Arlington, VA
| reply to dirtcyclr
Fair enough (even with the leftist code words, e.g., "big business," "greed", etc.  ). But I ax, is there some point where we can acknowledge that wiring is done and discontinue the tax? I hear that we are still paying some charge that was levied on phone bills in the 1900s to help pay for the Spanish-American War (I can find documentation but too lazy right now). The trouble with these programs and taxes is that they never end (while we put sunset provisions on tax relief). Al Gore's tax to wire schools is case in point —they are almost all wired now, will the tax end?
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»www.gmu.edu/departments/economic···any.html |
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oliphant5
Got Identity?
Premium
join:2003-05-24
Corona, CA | The Spanish-American war tax is also known as the excise tax. The tax will never end because in this talk about greed, there is no more greedy entity than the Federal government. |
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