[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Anyone on top of this?

[traviskicks]

Wow, this looks like a great bill from 'Republican' Senator Stevens.... Raises taxes, increases regulations, gives handouts to special interests, expands government. Super.





Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[TChris]

This is just pathetic. What I see is an increase in taxation, regulation and government interference in the private sector. (Why on earth do we need local govts. to be in the broadband network business?) I was a vocal opponent of just this kind of idiocy from my own city council over the past few years. Fortunately, it was defeated.

Note to the Fed. Gov.: Keep your greedy, power-hungry little fingers off the Internet! Protect free trade, market competition and business autonomy. Otherwise, mind your own dang business.

[kinghorse]

Will they instruct Apple and Itunes to cease and desist with their predatory practices re consumer's inability to easily cancel access to their online music service? Today you can't do it by phone and the online cancellation is non-existent. It's one big catch 22. Check it out for yourself.

If you give your credit card number to Itunes and decide later you want out be prepared for them to suggest cancellation of the card as the solution. I am not joking.

[D-Chivas]

Also, if Stevens' legislation passes, a broader swath of Americans would be taxed for the Universal Service Fund, a controversy-plagued, multibillion-dollar pool of money that's currently used to subsidize telecommunications services in rural and other high-cost areas, schools and libraries

So you're going to tax my $45 a month cable modem more so that somebody in boonies can get subsidized satellite broadband that you can get nowadays for $69 a month?

[mysterio]

So it kills Tivo, pretty much, right?

[MissouriConservative]

Huh, a Republican in Washington D.C. wanting to raise taxes? In this day and age, that does not surprise me at all. Might as well vote democrat this coming November. Why vote for imitators when you can get the real thing? At least I'd know what I would be getting when I cast my vote.

[ShadowAce]

[antiRepublicrat]

I have only seen bad things in this bill. It is pure payback to the communications and entertainment industries for the campaign contributions.

[zeugma]

Ted Stevens: another legislooter bought and paid for by RIAA/MPAA.

[Crawdad]

What would these clowns have done if they were around when TV was invented?

[pabianice]

Companies offering Internet phone services would increasingly be regulated and taxed as traditional phone companies.

That's the end of that.

[rzeznikj at stout]

Yessiree, no pay-to-play here... /sarc

[steve-b]

if Stevens' legislation passes, a broader swath of Americans would be taxed for the Universal Service Fund

Go jump off your bridge to nowhere, Ted.

[tubebender]

There is another broadband tax that started here in Humblodt County a couple of years ago. SBC was laying a FO cable along side Hiway 101 from Ukiah to Eureka out of the right of way but in a few spots they wanted to permission from Cal-Trans to use a couple of bridges and some right of way.

Cal-Trans demanded money and SBC balked so it delayed the link for a while. After public pressure SBC deposited money in a escrow account and a Judge ruled ion favor of C/T. Now C/T plans to tax all cable in the right of way on a annual basis and it's not cheap.

The story was in the Times-Standard.com a couple of days ago. I will try to fine a link but y'all might give me a hand.

[tubebender]

Here ya go... IS OUR FIBER FUTURE FRAYED

[quietolong]

Get ready for the big screw.