The cynicism in the comments so far is only outstripped by the weak, shallow, and tired arguments used to showcase said cynicism. In reality, not a one of you will ever pay one penny for the subsidy for internet to the poor.
Ever hear of USF (Universal Service Fee). That's a fee the telecommunication companies must pay the Federal government to help subsidize phone service for low income (and others). The fee can and is passed on to everyone that has a phone (that is not being subsidized under this program). How much to want to bet that the cost of broadband subsidies will also be included in everyone's internet access bill. And since it's a percentage of the bill, the USF fee for a person paying $80 for high speed cable internet will be 3X more than the person with a $25 for a 3Mbps DSL. Or the extra cost will just be added to the USF fee all of us (that aren't on the program) already pays.
Was going to post a detailed response to the elitist self-important "they took my job" folks here, but instead I'll just shake my head and say this.. "Some of you people are so incredibly hypocritical, you cry about government this and that, but when that same government helps you or someone you love with Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, funding for your school, etc, then you have nothing to say. My family was on welfare as child and it helped us, now my sister and I went to college, and I have a very good job. Sometimes people need help to catch up to the rest of society and/or get on their feet. Not everyone grew up privileged as some of you present yourselves. If you don't like the government then you can always move away or start a tax-exempt fake religion or move to some southern backwoods town where they have secret militia's and do dooms-day survival training." Guess I failed in my attempt to not type a long response. Oh well, blame Obama, goodness know things were nirvana under Bush Sr & Jr and Reagan.
I'm sure Google would be interested in funding a program like this. The only problem is that this program is for the poor and Google has no interest in data mining the personal information of people that have no money to spend. Not too many advertisers are going to pay Google to advertise to people that don't have the money to buy the products they're advertising.
Google has a big interest (and investment) in bringing the internet to poor and/or developing countries. So yeah it sounds just like the type of thing that could possibly interest them. Sometimes it's not just about the money and getting a premium for your services takes a back seat to doing something worthwhile for the less privileged.
[SIZE=14px]I agreed with Wheeler on net neutrality. But this is utter BS. Given the geography of this country, it will be ridiculously expensive to make happen. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14px]<span style="line-height:1.4em;">If someone chooses to live in a rural area, they have to make </span>
some<span style="line-height:1.4em;"> compromises, or spend more to gain </span>
<span style="line-height:26.880001068115234px;">access.</span>
[/SIZE]
They've made it happen before, why can't they do it again?
Look, genius-stein, you have no clue what you are talking about. Did you fail economics 101? Just arbitrarily set a price and speed because it seems fair? No consideration for cost, profit, maintenance, supply or demand? All that counts is “fairness”? Unbelievable naiveté and part of the reason these scatterbrain ideas gain traction.
Verizon stole money from PA for expanding fiber in PA. Its PA's fault for leaving that loophole, but still Verizon has stopped expanding and is just keeping all the money they make without any improvements for its customers! They are making a killing and gouging its customers like the rest of the industry! No reason for 15/15 internet to be $74.99 a month especially with other countries having alot faster internet for more than half the price!
Verizon wasn't the only one. All the telcos were given billions of dollars under the guise that they would bring broadband Internet to everyone, and afterwards lobbied Congress to let them off that hook.
These "single mom" BS stories are growing tiresome. First, why did she decide to have kids with someone who wasn't going to stick around or have them out of wedlock? Seems like a poor decision on her part so I shouldn't have to help pay for her mistakes. Second, where is her family that they can't watch the kids while she takes online education? Just because she's a "single mom" doesn't mean jack to me and hardly pulls at my heartstrings. It's such an old and tired argument made by liberals.
Stupidest comment on this whole thread. Simple solutions by simple people.
Was going to post a detailed response to the elitist self-important "they took my job" folks here, but instead I'll just shake my head and say this.. "Some of you people are so incredibly hypocritical, you cry about government this and that, but when that same government helps you or someone you love with Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, funding for your school, etc, then you have nothing to say. My family was on welfare as child and it helped us, now my sister and I went to college, and I have a very good job. Sometimes people need help to catch up to the rest of society and/or get on their feet. Not everyone grew up privileged as some of you present yourselves. If you don't like the government then you can always move away or start a tax-exempt fake religion or move to some southern backwoods town where they have secret militia's and do dooms-day survival training." Guess I failed in my attempt to not type a long response. Oh well, blame Obama, goodness know things were nirvana under Bush Sr & Jr and Reagan.
The thing is that the government is most likely not going to be the one paying for this with our taxes. This is not like social welfare. The government will mandate that internet providers will do the subsidizing and the cost can be passed on to all internet subscribers in a form of a "fee". And the "fee" will be a percentage of what they are paying for internet access. Look into the USF fee that is already on everyones phone bill (both land line and mobile.).
It's one thing for the government to use taxes to pay for this because the rich pay 70% of the Federal income tax collected and no one will see a penny increase in their tax bill because of this subsidy. But not everyone that subscribe to the internet is rich. Many middle class internet subscribers are already finding it harder and harder to pay for internet access. And this fee may add another $50 a year to their expense. They will most likely get dinged on their data plan for a mobile device and again for home internet access. I'm already paying a USF on my landline and mobile phone that amounts to over $50 a year. I can afford it, but there are those that could use that $50 a year to pay for the things they had to sacrifice, so they can pay for an internet connection.
If the government come out and say that they will pay for this subsidy program by buying a few less F-15 jet fighters every year, then you won't hear anyone complaining, except the companies that builds F-15's. But that's not going to happen. And will never happen unless tax payers step up and complain about our government imposing taxes on us, disguised as a fee, so that they can use the tax money they already got from us to fund their pork barrel projects.
Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler will on Thursday propose subsidizing broadband Internet for poorer Americans, much in the way it currently subsidizes phone bills, officials with the agency said.
Is this reality? Is this the world we actually live in?
OH NO WE NEED LEGISLATION TO ADD TAXES TO AND MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ISPS TO COMPETE OR HAVE ANY INCENTIVE TO LOWER PRICES
OH NO NOW SOME PEOPLE CAN’T AFFORD THE INTERNET; BETTER STEAL MONEY FROM EVERYONE ELSE SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE IT FOR FREE
Comments
The cynicism in the comments so far is only outstripped by the weak, shallow, and tired arguments used to showcase said cynicism. In reality, not a one of you will ever pay one penny for the subsidy for internet to the poor.
Ever hear of USF (Universal Service Fee). That's a fee the telecommunication companies must pay the Federal government to help subsidize phone service for low income (and others). The fee can and is passed on to everyone that has a phone (that is not being subsidized under this program). How much to want to bet that the cost of broadband subsidies will also be included in everyone's internet access bill. And since it's a percentage of the bill, the USF fee for a person paying $80 for high speed cable internet will be 3X more than the person with a $25 for a 3Mbps DSL. Or the extra cost will just be added to the USF fee all of us (that aren't on the program) already pays.
https://www.fcc.gov/guides/understanding-your-telephone-bill
https://www.consumer.att.com/connectivity_charge/faqs.html
http://support.sprint.com/support/article/Know_about_Sprint_surcharges_taxes_fees_and_other_charges/case-ib376964-20090810-135914#!/
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2012/09/your_universal_service_fee_at_work.html
Which reality do you live in?
Was going to post a detailed response to the elitist self-important "they took my job" folks here, but instead I'll just shake my head and say this.. "Some of you people are so incredibly hypocritical, you cry about government this and that, but when that same government helps you or someone you love with Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, funding for your school, etc, then you have nothing to say. My family was on welfare as child and it helped us, now my sister and I went to college, and I have a very good job. Sometimes people need help to catch up to the rest of society and/or get on their feet. Not everyone grew up privileged as some of you present yourselves. If you don't like the government then you can always move away or start a tax-exempt fake religion or move to some southern backwoods town where they have secret militia's and do dooms-day survival training." Guess I failed in my attempt to not type a long response. Oh well, blame Obama, goodness know things were nirvana under Bush Sr & Jr and Reagan.
http://www.google.com/get/projectlink/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/10870369/Google-spending-1bn-on-internet-in-developing-world.html
They've made it happen before, why can't they do it again?
Verizon wasn't the only one. All the telcos were given billions of dollars under the guise that they would bring broadband Internet to everyone, and afterwards lobbied Congress to let them off that hook.
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20060131/2021240.shtml
http://newnetworks.com/broadbandscandals.htm
Stupidest comment on this whole thread. Simple solutions by simple people.
Was going to post a detailed response to the elitist self-important "they took my job" folks here, but instead I'll just shake my head and say this.. "Some of you people are so incredibly hypocritical, you cry about government this and that, but when that same government helps you or someone you love with Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, funding for your school, etc, then you have nothing to say. My family was on welfare as child and it helped us, now my sister and I went to college, and I have a very good job. Sometimes people need help to catch up to the rest of society and/or get on their feet. Not everyone grew up privileged as some of you present yourselves. If you don't like the government then you can always move away or start a tax-exempt fake religion or move to some southern backwoods town where they have secret militia's and do dooms-day survival training." Guess I failed in my attempt to not type a long response. Oh well, blame Obama, goodness know things were nirvana under Bush Sr & Jr and Reagan.
The thing is that the government is most likely not going to be the one paying for this with our taxes. This is not like social welfare. The government will mandate that internet providers will do the subsidizing and the cost can be passed on to all internet subscribers in a form of a "fee". And the "fee" will be a percentage of what they are paying for internet access. Look into the USF fee that is already on everyones phone bill (both land line and mobile.).
It's one thing for the government to use taxes to pay for this because the rich pay 70% of the Federal income tax collected and no one will see a penny increase in their tax bill because of this subsidy. But not everyone that subscribe to the internet is rich. Many middle class internet subscribers are already finding it harder and harder to pay for internet access. And this fee may add another $50 a year to their expense. They will most likely get dinged on their data plan for a mobile device and again for home internet access. I'm already paying a USF on my landline and mobile phone that amounts to over $50 a year. I can afford it, but there are those that could use that $50 a year to pay for the things they had to sacrifice, so they can pay for an internet connection.
If the government come out and say that they will pay for this subsidy program by buying a few less F-15 jet fighters every year, then you won't hear anyone complaining, except the companies that builds F-15's. But that's not going to happen. And will never happen unless tax payers step up and complain about our government imposing taxes on us, disguised as a fee, so that they can use the tax money they already got from us to fund their pork barrel projects.
Is this reality? Is this the world we actually live in?
OH NO WE NEED LEGISLATION TO ADD TAXES TO AND MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ISPS TO COMPETE OR HAVE ANY INCENTIVE TO LOWER PRICES
OH NO NOW SOME PEOPLE CAN’T AFFORD THE INTERNET; BETTER STEAL MONEY FROM EVERYONE ELSE SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE IT FOR FREE
Collapse, please.