Don't Let Ignorance Get in the Way...
Ted Stevens, the not so diminuitive Senator from Alaska, has already demonstrated his lack of understanding of how the Internet works. But that won't stop him from taxing what he doesn't understand. Evidently Senator Stevens wants to tax broadband internet access and related VOIP (voice over IP, or internet phone service) services.
Now, I understand where part of this comes from. Prior to the age of Vonage, Skype, and similar services, a slice of our long distance charges from our local telco went to the Federal pie in a fund known as the Universal Service Fund. This fund ideally was supposed to subsidize telecommunications access in low-income and high-cost areas. Politically, I support this idea. Using some part of our tax dollars, especially in usury taxes (as opposed to income), to enable phone & communications access for folks and communities who might not ordinarily be able to afford it, is a good idea.
Given that telecomm has dramatically shifted mediums (from analog to digital), I suppose I would give some consideration to a tax that is designed to replenish this fund and perhaps help folks across America gain Internet access.
My problem is the source. If Al Gore were still a Senator and proposed this legislation, I'd give it a lot more credit. He didn't invent the Internet, but he "got it" as to understanding the potential impact this medium could have on our society. Senator Stevens, on the other hand, has rendered his understanding of Internet technologies into such an absurd joke that he seems to be fulfilling Reagan's paradigm regarding government and the economy: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
If the USF needs refilling because more people are going VOIP, I can see a case for transferring that revenue source to the medium that replaced it. It just makes me nervous when people who know nothing about something decide to regulate or tax it. I know that's the way of government these days, that doesn't mean I like it.
Now, I understand where part of this comes from. Prior to the age of Vonage, Skype, and similar services, a slice of our long distance charges from our local telco went to the Federal pie in a fund known as the Universal Service Fund. This fund ideally was supposed to subsidize telecommunications access in low-income and high-cost areas. Politically, I support this idea. Using some part of our tax dollars, especially in usury taxes (as opposed to income), to enable phone & communications access for folks and communities who might not ordinarily be able to afford it, is a good idea.
Given that telecomm has dramatically shifted mediums (from analog to digital), I suppose I would give some consideration to a tax that is designed to replenish this fund and perhaps help folks across America gain Internet access.
My problem is the source. If Al Gore were still a Senator and proposed this legislation, I'd give it a lot more credit. He didn't invent the Internet, but he "got it" as to understanding the potential impact this medium could have on our society. Senator Stevens, on the other hand, has rendered his understanding of Internet technologies into such an absurd joke that he seems to be fulfilling Reagan's paradigm regarding government and the economy: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
If the USF needs refilling because more people are going VOIP, I can see a case for transferring that revenue source to the medium that replaced it. It just makes me nervous when people who know nothing about something decide to regulate or tax it. I know that's the way of government these days, that doesn't mean I like it.