FCC Gets Go-Ahead For Plan To Expand Rural Internet Access

The FCC's plan to use fees collected from big telecom companies to expand Internet infrastructure in rural parts of the U.S. was given a green light yesterday in Denver, by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Those telecoms maintained that the FCC's mandate did not extend to using the money to pay for Internet service, but a three-judge panel dismissed their challenge. From The Verge: "The FCC originally pitched the program as part of the Universal Service Fund in 2011, noting in a report a year earlier that approximately 14 million people did not have access to broadband. The Connect America Fund aimed to use a portion of customer bills in other areas of the country to build out broadband infrastructure, including cellular data networks in those areas. That would begin with $300 million at the start, and up to $500 million as part of an annual budget."

Comments

Re:Yes!

[Shakrai]

I am so grateful that the FCC required me to pay more in order to subsidize the lifestyle choices of other people.

I love how people expect us to subsidize their internet access but nobody (sane) argues in favor of subsidies for wells and septic tanks, both of which are more costly than municipal water service. Access to clean water is actually essential to life, unlike internet access, or even electricity for that matter, but nobody expects suburban/urban people to subsidize water for rural folks, why should we have to subsidize their internet connectivity?