We were under the impression that the real emergency in this country was our failing economy and a President in the White House who consistently violates our Constitution.
Who knew that America was on a fatal path of destruction because a few million people don’t have Internet speeds of at least 4mbps.
The FCC has released its eighth annual “Broadband Progress Report,” and in it they push for a new Internet tax in order to accomplish what they say is an “immediate” need for every single person in the nation to have access to broadband Internet service.
The FCC has decided that broadband Internet deployment “to all Americans” isn’t happening in a “reasonable and timely fashion” and that means you better open your wallet and take care of it right away.
The FCC’s “finding” is not accurate at all, but it’s the government, and if it’s fixed, it is their solemn duty to find a way to break it.
Because a government agency without something to regulate and tax is quite useless, isn’t it?
Fax Congress and Stop an Internet Tax!
Section 706 of the 1996 Communications Act requires the FCC to undertake the vague goal of making sure broadband is being made available to all Americans in that above-mentioned “reasonable and timely fashion.”And of course if they determine it is not, they must invoke their emergency powers and take action to make sure it is.
Trust us, this is a big-government power grab. And its another example of a “state of emergency” coming from the Obama administration designed to strip you of your freedom and your money.
First of all, the FCC claims that 6 percent of Americans (about 19 million people) don’t have sufficient broadband service. But the FCC didn’t include wireless and mobile service in their calculations, which drops the numbers down to 1.7 percent, or 5.5 million people.
But, even the FCC acknowledges that broadband isn’t economically viable or even possible in some areas of the country. If you accept their finding that 19 million people don’t have broadband—which we have already determined is faulty, but let’s go with that—the FCC itself says that 14.5 million people live in rural areas where it would cost too much to build a broadband network.
And the U.S. Census reports that about 8 million Americans live in homes without complete plumbing.
Wouldn’t you rather have a working bathroom over the ability to download a picture quickly?
“We have acknowledged,” the FCC majority, writes, “there is no business case for broadband investment in some parts of the nation.”
Yet, they’ll take your money just the same.
Fax Congress and Stop an Internet Tax!
And, Join the Conversation on FacebookWhat the FCC wants to do is impose a tax on you and put the money into the Connect America Fund, a subsidy program designed to expand Internet service across the nation. The money for this program is currently coming from additional fees on phone bills.
With the growth of the Internet, however, you can see that phone calls are a thing of the past. Right now you can quickly send an email, IM, text message, or other comment through social media and instantly reach the person you want to speak to.
That is why the FCC is looking to tax your online activities in order to get their money. However, the FCC argues that their proposal is not a “tax” but rather, a “fee.”
Whatever they want to call it, it’s a bad idea, and we need to fax Congress now and make sure they know what the FCC is up to.
Fax Congress and Stop an Internet Tax!
The FCC has decided that everyone needs broadband service and they need it NOW. But that is a faulty assumption, because even with such vast broadband coverage, and even where it is available, not everyone chooses to pay for it.In our shaky economy, every dollar counts. So if you’re going to cut down on something, losing a little speed on your Internet connection may mean the difference between getting that prescription you need or putting food on the table.
If the government gets involved and imposes a tax, you won’t have that choice. You’ll just be told, in typical Obama-fashion, to do what you are told and pay up so you can provide Internet service for people who may not even be interested in it!
And opponents of the tax argue that fewer people will purchase broadband if it’s more expensive, so the tax will be ineffective from the start…except, of course, that it will punish those who want or need broadband.
An FCC-imposed Internet tax is just the beginning of what the government can and will do if we allow this to happen. The Internet is the great, untapped frontier, and government agencies at every level are looking to tap into it for tax dollars.
Fax Congress and Stop an Internet Tax!
And, Join the Conversation on FacebookIn May of 2010 the FCC tried to reclassify the Internet as a telephone service. That would have meant every aspect of the Internet could be regulated; and thankfully, the proposal failed.
They claimed a few years ago that broadband wasn’t increasing at the appropriate speed and tried to push through net neutrality.
Now, despite glaring evidence that the Internet industry is doing just great without government interference, they are pushing an Internet tax—which of course also provides them with greater regulatory powers over your online business.
Former U.S. Senator John Sununu is a co-chair of Broadband for America (BFA). He said, “Reaching the last 3-4% of households is important, but the FCC itself recognizes the high investment hurdles those highly rural connections involve. To see the glass 3% empty instead of 97% full misses the important progress we’re making as a nation. The industry has changed the way people access technology and produced millions of high paying jobs. Even in the current economic climate, broadband related industries continue to grow and serve America.”
High speed Internet didn’t even exist in 1996 and today, at least 95% of all Americans have access to some kind of broadband service. Over $1 trillion dollars has been spent, almost entirely through private funding, to ensure this.
This is a failure, according to the FCC?
Fax Congress and Stop an Internet Tax!
And, Join the Conversation on FacebookThe FCC put out a “Request for Comment” in April. Now is the time to urge every Member of Congress to reject this proposal and urge businesses in their states to do the same.
Derek Turner, Research Director for Free Press, urges Americans to take action: “If Members of Congress understood that the FCC is contemplating a broadband tax, they’d sit up and take notice.”
Don’t let an unaccountable government agency tax you—speak up now against this Internet tax!
The FCC will likely wait until after the election to make a move, but that is less than three months away. Don’t let Obama and the FCC launch an Internet tax in November or December because the American people didn’t act fast enough.
Sincerely,
Tony Adkins
Conservative Daily
No comments yet - make the first one!