ronpin
Imagine Reality
join:2002-12-06
Nirvana
 ·AT&T Southwest
| Fat pipes -- not Fat Taxes
The Universal Service Fund might actually be an impediment to getting Fiber To The Home (FTTH). How? Most Schools have T-1 or better lines now. That bandwidth is mostly wasted outside of school hours.
The schools could could actually make money reselling that bandwidth to local FTTH overbuilders and ISP's -- unless they got their bandwidth with USF funds. It's illegal to resell bandwidth purchased with USF money (in Texas at least).
Why can't we taxpayers stipulate that private broadband providers be able to buy bandwidth from city ISD's to replace any USF funds -- where demand exists? |
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major marco
Res Firma Mitescere Nescit
Premium
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA
clubs:
|  Just Another Way to Milk the Cows
Everyone knows the USF is a joke. An extra fee tacked on for -effectively- a slush fund whose purposes are unknown and overseers unaccountable. We've discussed previously the extra little fees telcos tack on in this forum several months prior. This was the web site of the guy debunking the pork. »www.teletruth.org/
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A good scapegoat is almost as good as a solution.»www.digitalconsumer.org |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs:
 ·Cox HSI
|  End the USF?!?
I do not enjoy paying taxes, and do not know anyone who dose. I feel that the usf is out of date and has never worked like the fund was set up to do. This was a fund that was set up to help bring the services of high tech industries to the rural communities that often fail to get the access to the services that large cities enjoy. I do support the ideal that all people should have the ability to access high tech systems, and that some of my tax dollars go to this effort. I don’t agree with the notion that the monies got to Telco. I believe that the Telco’s have a bad record of not providing the service that this money is meant for. I live in a suburban community that was a rural area. Much of the services here were started as a co-op, a group of locals who were just trying to make there life better by providing electric power, phone, water, ect. If my tax dollars were going to fund these org.'s I would be happy, but when I find that my taxes go to companies like Qwest, MCI (formally WorldCom), and even Enron, who then proceed to steel more money from the public, that I will not stand for. If I knew that all $3.63 in new taxes, that this proposed tax would cost me, went to putting in new and advanced telecom's I would pay it. Until it dose I will fight it till I turn blue!
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If there is any realistic deterrent to marriage, it's the fact that you can't afford divorce. -- Jack Nicholson |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02 | reply to major marco
Re: Just Another Way to Milk the Cows
Just an FYI: We should have an interview with Bruce Kushnick (teletruth founder) up sometime this week..... |
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LegoPower77
Abecedarian
Premium
join:2002-08-03
Arlington, VA
| I say
Since it is more costly to wire rural areas, and we all pay for them because of that. . . Then they should have a Universal Housing Fund because real-estate is more costly in metropolitan areas. Let the bumkins help pay for my housing.
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»www.gmu.edu/departments/economic···any.html |
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aztecnology
O Rly?
Premium
join:2003-02-12
Murrieta, CA | reply to Smokey
Re: End the USF?!?
Nice cut and paste of a previous post in the other usf thread...
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.:|:. Starband 360 ~ W2KAS ~ DLINK DI-714P+ ~ XPro ~ XPro |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| PS
As a post note: I sent a link of this and the discussion here yesterday to Sen. McCain. I got a response, most like from a staffer, saying that the senator was very concerned about this and many other issues that are in front of the FCC. I recommend that all of you use the link below to email him your concerns and lets help keep the FCC in its place!!!
»mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuse···act.Home
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If there is any realistic deterrent to marriage, it's the fact that you can't afford divorce. -- Jack Nicholson |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs: | reply to aztecnology
Re: End the USF?!?
LOL I did it 4 a reference! |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs: | reply to LegoPower77
Re: I say
good luck trying to get this to pass! |
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aztecnology
O Rly?
Premium
join:2003-02-12
Murrieta, CA |  reply to Smokey
Re: End the USF?!?
I understand, try it like this next time => "hey, read what I already said" »End the USF?!?
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.:|:. Starband 360 ~ W2KAS ~ DLINK DI-714P+ ~ XPro ~ XPro |
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DrTCP
Yours truly
Premium,ExMod 1999-04
join:1999-11-09
Round Rock, TX
| USF is not a tax
AFAIK, a federal tax can only be instituted by the Congress only!
USF is a "fund" that is mandated by FCC to provide local phone service to the poor and also to fund the public library Internet systems. It was never intended to be collected from the end user but the general practice is that telco pass it down to the consumer.
Contrary to the belief, FCC does not collect these funds. The funds collected stay with the company (telco) and telco was supposed to take money from this fund in exchange for the service it is providing to the poor and the libraries etc. Who knows what else the telco is doing with the money (perhaps feeding a number of lobbiests, politicians etc.) |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs: | reply to aztecnology
Re: End the USF?!?
tx, still a newbie at this |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| reply to DrTCP
Re: USF is not a tax
well it's basically a tax. And it was passed by congress in the Telco act of 1996! This gave the FCC the power to asses and regulate the "fund" as they see fit, with congress's oversight!
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If there is any realistic deterrent to marriage, it's the fact that you can't afford divorce. -- Jack Nicholson |
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ib50MbSoon
Formerly TwoKDialup
Premium
join:2002-06-07
Coloma, MI
| reply to LegoPower77
Re: I say
From the FCC Website at »www.fcc.gov/wcb/universal_service/
The goals of Universal Service, as mandated by the 1996 Act, are to promote the availability of quality services at just, reasonable, and affordable rates; increase access to advanced telecommunications services throughout the Nation; advance the availability of such services to all consumers, including those in low income, rural, insular, and high cost areas at rates that are reasonably comparable to those charged in urban areas. In addition, the 1996 Act states that all providers of telecommunications services should contribute to Federal universal service in some equitable and nondiscriminatory manner; there should be specific, predictable, and sufficient Federal and State mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service; all schools, classrooms, health care providers, and libraries should, generally, have access to advanced telecommunications services; and finally, that the Federal-State Joint Board and the Commission should determine those other principles that, consistent with the 1996 Act, are necessary to protect the public interest.
That paragraph sure sounds nice but last time I checked on ISDN prices it would cost approx $300 to install and $180/mo in recurring fees, ISP not included. Hardly what I call "just, reasonable, or affordable". I don't know where all that USF money is going but its not helping this "bumkin".
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The whole truth and nothing but the truth at »www.teletruth.org
[text was edited by author 2003-06-10 16:07:35] |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| As I have said in the other forum, I have no problem with the usf, As the law intended it to work. But it dose not work in that way! The monies do not fund making the service in rural areas better, it goes to making the Telco’s richer. Just the thought of B. Ebbers getting his hoofs on this money pisses me off
»End the USF?!?
also this is a good line of comments!
»FCC's power to tax
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If there is any realistic deterrent to marriage, it's the fact that you can't afford divorce.
-- Jack Nicholson
[text was edited by author 2003-06-10 16:11:50]
[text was edited by author 2003-06-10 16:13:54] |
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aztecnology
O Rly?
Premium
join:2003-02-12
Murrieta, CA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to ib50MbSoon
said by ib50MbSoon  :
at rates that are reasonably comparable to those charged in urban areas.
There's the loophole - Charge the same for it everywhere...
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.:|:. Starband 360 ~ W2KAS ~ DLINK DI-714P+ ~ XPro ~ XPro |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs: | ya, Whats Reasonable??? The gov has a hard time filling in that blank! |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| Nirvana?? Is it here yet?
The USF is a bad attempt to make the internet a nirvana! This has never worked in the past because some backdoor bureaucrat in D.C. finds that he can help him/her self more by screwing the rest of us over!
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If there is any realistic deterrent to marriage, it's the fact that you can't afford divorce. -- Jack Nicholson |
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DrTCP
Yours truly
Premium,ExMod 1999-04
join:1999-11-09
Round Rock, TX
| reply to Smokey
Re: USF is not a tax
A Tax is collected by the US Treasury. USF is not a tax (technically) and is collected by the Telco and money stays with the Telco. There is little oversight by the FCC on the collected money and much less by the Congress. The USF is the dream fund for the Telcos and telcos represent it as "tax" because it is convenient to do so on their end because otherwise people would object. Telecom act of 1996 required setting aside funds from Telcos. Telecom act of 1996 did not mandate the collection of these funds from the end user. Passing is as tax is actually illegal. It would be taxation without representation. |
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Smokey
Even drunk on a bet ya make it to Canada
Premium
join:2003-05-20
Va Beach
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| Ya I get what ur saying dr, know that the say its a tax so u don’t call them about it. My point was that when the farmers called there congress men to get the concession, congress passed it. So in my mind its a Proxy tax, everyone knew that it'd be passed on to us. The oversight I meant is that congress can an overturn any ruling the FCC makes. After all the FCC is part of the EXE. branch and congress sets the laws that they use to make there rules1
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If there is any realistic deterrent to marriage, it's the fact that you can't afford divorce. -- Jack Nicholson |
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