Law, Policy and Ethics in Telecommunications
Abstract
Taxation to support national interests remains a cornerstone of the policies of the United States, and extends to taxation in support of universal access to current telecommunications standards such as broadband internet. Arguments opposed rest on the misconception that not every individual would benefit from broadband access, or that access would stifle local economies. These assumptions work against the best interests of rural communities. Keywords: Rural, telecommunications, national, access, broadband, internet, taxation, plan, policy, Federal Communications Commission, FCC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................i
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER
1. THE CURRENT STATE OF ACCESS......................................................................................1 Table 1.................................................................................................................................3 A Brief History of Rural Access..........................................................................................3 Plans in Place.......................................................................................................................4 Figure 1................................................................................................................................6 Figure 2................................................................................................................................6
2. THE ISSUE WITH FORGETTING RURAL AREAS...............................................................6
The Extensive Necessity of Broadband...............................................................................7
Educational broadband considerations....................................................................7
Medical broadband considerations..........................................................................8 If Nothing Is Done...............................................................................................................9 The Opposition.....................................................................................................................9
3. IN SUPPORT OF TAXATION TO PROVIDE BROADBAND ACCESS..............................10
CONCLUSIONS...........................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES CITED..................................................................................................................13
Introduction to Universal Access This week, a father in California reviewed his budget, balanced his checking account, paid his mortgage, downloaded software, and reviewed multiple articles, all while the Disney film “Tangled” streamed instantly to the nearby television to distract his two daughters. This is an image of ease, but also of normalcy. More and more, businesses are resting assured that one hundred percent of their desired market can access their goods and services through high-speed internet connections. Yet a large portion of the county has been left behind; not only from entertainment, automatic bill enrollments, and an online education, but employment opportunities, or a wider market for small business owners. Substantial regions of the nation remain too sparse in population to tempt leading broadband providers to offer competitive services. The public interest is advanced by policies that favor taxing all telecommunications customers in order to fund universal service for rural telecommunications users. Access to broadband internet is not a privilege; high-speed