The United States Telecom Association (USTA) today called on the federal government to address two different issues in the telecom industry, Internet taxes and fiber networks.
USTA President Walter B. McCormick Jr. sent a letter to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert requesting the House extend the moratorium imposed by the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act. The act, which would permanently ban Internet access taxes, passed the Senate in April. McCormick asked that the House approve the bill immediately.
“Failure to do so will put the broadband telecom providers of high-speed DSL at a competitive disadvantage,” McCormick wrote. “Passage [of the bill] will ensure all methods of Internet access – dial-up, DSL, cable, satellite, or wireless – are covered by the moratorium.”
McCormick pointed out that under the final version of the act, the 10 states that taxed Internet connections in 1998 will only be allowed to continue the tariffs for four more years, “and the states that began taxing high-speed wireline and wireless access after 1998 will have two years to discontinue the practice. USTA strongly supports this important compromise.”
Meanwhile, the association today also unveiled a new print and television advertisement asking Congress and the president to authorize policies supporting advanced fiber networks throughout the country.
“Rapid changes in technology have made the existing patchwork of communications laws virtually obsolete,” McCormick explains. “At this critical moment in telecom’s evolution, this ad highlights the tremendous opportunity the president and Congress have to set a modern, forward-looking communications policy for the nation that spurs investment and innovation throughout the country.”
The ad is titled “Visionaries,” and references President Lincoln’s work to develop the nation’s railroads, President Eisenhower’s push to construct the country’s highways, and President Kennedy’s support of space exploration. “By unlocking the true potential of market-based competition we can transform the way Americans work, play, learn and explore the world,” the ad says. “We can unleash this new world for consumers and enable the private sector to innovate, grow, and create new, high-paying jobs.”
