Cable Modem Tax Proposed by FCC

TheSync writes "News.Com has an article by Declan McCullagh that says the FCC is considering a new tax of up to 9.1% on the revenue of cable modem providers. This is an expansion of the existing universal service fund, which currently does not apply to cable services. The USF could even be expanded to wireless IP and VOIP providers as well, expanding the fund to over $13 billion."

Comments

They need more money??

[Azghoul]

What, so the government collected over 2 TRILLION in revenues last year (source: IRS about page), and they need a little more?

Anyone wonder where all this American obesity comes from, just look towards your elected spenders, I mean officials.

Yeah, way to stimulate the economy!

[Dr. Spork]

I just can't get over the stupidity of this administration. Bush gives a huge tax cut, most of which goes to very rich people, while Michael Powell wants to do a tax hike on one of the few technologies that might actually fix the economy?

Seriously, this just boggles the mind.

Re:Before you hop on your soap boxes...

[Abcd1234]

Queue rabid righties who whine about their rights being violated in order to prop up the poor who should be able to help themselves, the lazy slobs.

oh the poor poor rural dwellers

[CrudPuppy]

Nobody forced these people to move to a shack in Montana. Why are we now stuck paying their telephone bill???

I pay 10 times the amount as them for a house in the first place (average house in this area is now around $500,000).

I don't feel sorry for them at all. Let them move to the city if they want cheaper phone bills!

I really want to kill them.

[tf4]

Why should I pay for lower income families? They can surf their pr0n at the library, my cable already runs me $50 per month which I can barely afford with 2 kids...I paid $100 per month before the days of broadband to get ISDN...If they want it they will find a way to afford it! What next? I have to buy the computer they use to surf on too?!

Re:Universal Service Fund

[rsborg]

"I'm all for taking from the rich to give to the poor, ..."
So you are a thief? Thanks for clearing that up.
The rich by and large earn their money.
The poor are poor due to their choices in life, nothing more.
Marxism is DEAD, lets move on.

Who the f*ck modded this cruft as insightful? The only thing this could be is INSITEFUL, right wing propoganda with no links or meaningful references. Which should get a -1 Offtopic mod along with all the other left-wing conspiracy theory bullshit. This thread is about FCC taxing cable modem users, not trying to spin your extremist worldview.

Re:They already have a low cost of living

[siskbc]

newsflash, you don't have to live in the sticks to get decent rent. I live in a major suburb in the 10th largest metroplex in the country and I only pay $550/month for 1150 sq ft 2 bedroom apt. Not everywhere has crazy pricing like LA and NY.

Whatever, I don't really care to study rent patterns of the entire country. The point is still: why should only one group of people have all other groups of people subsidize their costs for one particular thing? Why should I pay for Johnny Redneck's internet access but he not pay for my apartment?