Re: Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Bailout of $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that Failedto Build Out Their Networks]

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

I must comment. The Universal Service Fund idea has, from all I hear,  
been very profitable to the carriers and less than a useful way of  
getting services to education , communities etc. Repeating this is a  
prescription for more of the same bad results. Also and more important  
targeting any money to "enhance" the efforts by the existing  
infrastructure suppliers will

1. freeze in existing technology and business structure  that will not  
evolve in step with our technology nor our national needs.

2. promises will be made that will not be kept ( remember the promises  
made in Pennsylvania and not kept)

3. Rates and profits  will continue to climb and make broadband too  
expensive for many

FCC, or not FCC,  the politics  of the well supported industrial  
lobbies and contributions will win and guess who looses.

Dave Farber


Begin forwarded message:

From: Tracy Hall <tracy.hall () alum mit edu>
Date: December 30, 2008 4:21:03 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] [DDN] Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure  
Bailout of $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that  
Failedto Build Out Their Networks]

Yet, if we are to use taxes - and more likely, debt to be paid by our  
children - should it not be for infrastructure that will *benefit*  
those paying off that debt - rather than simply short term "profit"  
for financial companies and others that will only last the year?

Tracy Hall
Lead Dreamer
Dreams and Logic
9018 Balboa Blvd, #235
Northridge, CA  91325
TEL/CELL: (408) 656-9226
FAX: (818) 301-2116



----- Original Message ----
> From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> To: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 12:53:10 PM
> Subject: [IP] [DDN] Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure  
> Bailout of $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that  
> Failedto Build Out Their Networks]
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Larry Press
> Date: December 30, 2008 1:12:24 PM EST
> To: "dave () farber net"
> Subject: [Fwd: [DDN] Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure  
> Bailout of
> $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that    Failedto  
> Build Out
> Their Networks]
>
> Dave,
>
> This may be of interest to the IP community.
>
> Larry
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [DDN] Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Bailout of
> $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that    Failedto  
> Build Out
> Their Networks
> Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:51:28 -0800
> From: Bruce Kushnick
> Reply-To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group
>
> To: 'The Digital Divide Network discussion group'
>
>
> Teletruth News Analysis, December 22, 2008
>
> Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Bailout of $44 Billion  
> ---
> (More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that Failed to Build Out Their
> Networks.)
>
> To read the rest of this story
> http://www.newnetworks.com/Freepressbroadband.htm
>
> There has been a call for ‘stimulus packages’ to help with our current
> economic crisis and new infrastructure initiatives, such as the  
> upgrading of
> roads and bridges, are on the top of the list.  There are also a  
> number of
> groups who care about broadband infrastructure and want their  
> billions as
> well. The arguments – more jobs, better productivity, etc, may be well
> intentioned, but the unasked question is:  Who should pay for it and  
> who
> should built it?
> While we agree that America needs to have a national broadband
> infrastructure initiative, we are against the current plans by many,
> including Free Press, who wants to raise taxes and give a $44  
> billion dollar
> bailout to the very companies who are responsible for America’s  
> broadband
> infrastructure crisis. There are multiple reasons why we’re against  
> this.
>
> Free Press Report: “Down Payment on Our Digital Future: Stimulus  
> Policies
> for the 21st-Century Economy, “a comprehensive set of proposals that  
> would
> deploy a forward-looking national broadband infrastructure.”
> http://www.freepress.net/node/46686
>
> Free Press does seem to get some of the major issues, such as the  
> fact that
> America is 15th in broadband or that we should have open, competitive
> networks.  Yet, Free Press and others simply miss the major point ---
> raising everyone’s taxes -- to bail out the same companies that  
> failed to
> properly upgrade America’s essential infrastructure is simply the  
> wrong
> approach, Also, Free Press has excluded items that need to be  
> discussed,
> including true accountability and even a discussion of how we ended up
> becoming a 3rd world broadband power.
>
> To read the rest of this story
> http://www.newnetworks.com/Freepressbroadband.htm
>
> Bruce Kushnick, Teletruth
>
>
>
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