In December 2013, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced that they would begin a review of the Communications Act of 1934 and its subsequent amendments, including the Cable Act of 1992 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The committee has issued three white papers on various topics that Congress plans to address in the modernization of the Communications Act, and it is expected that future publications will include the role that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will play in Internet governance, among other items.
ITIF Event Highlights Intellectual Property Challenges in India
On May 30, 2014, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) held a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss its latest report on the state of India’s economy, “The Indian Economy at a Crossroads.” The briefing highlighted the challenges India faces in becoming economically stable. Citizens Against Government Waste reported on India’s efforts to improve […]
IRS Should Not Create Software That Already Exists
While very little gets done in Washington during an election year, deadlines must be acknowledged and addressed, such as the expiration of the Internet tax moratorium on November 1, 2014. Two days prior to that critical date, a lesser-known but nonetheless important matter is scheduled to come to an end. On October 30, 2014, the Free File Alliance’s partnership with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is up for renewal. The Free File Alliance is a consortium of tax software companies which makes free tax preparation software and free e-file available to certain taxpayers.
The FCC’s Newest Motto for Net Neutrality: Three Times is the Charm
It is a sad state of affairs when a federal agency continues to waste taxpayer dollars on a concept that failed, not once but twice to pass muster with the court. On May 15, 2014, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler brought up for a vote a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that has […]
The Clock is ticking on Internet Taxation
Less than six months from now, citizens across the country could face new taxes. That is when the moratorium banning taxes on Internet access and discriminatory duplicate taxes on Internet services expires. While legislation to make the moratorium permanent has been introduced with bi-partisan support, the clock is ticking leading up to the November 1, […]
IRS Should Not Create Software That Already Exists
While very little gets done in Washington during an election year, deadlines must be acknowledged and addressed, such as the expiration of the Internet tax moratorium on November 1, 2014. Two days prior to that critical date, a lesser-known but nonetheless important matter is scheduled to come to an end. On October 30, 2014, the […]
World Intellectual Property Day Is April 26
World Intellectual Property Day is April 26, 2014. Set aside by the international community in 2000, as a day to increase and promote a general understanding of intellectual property (IP), this event is recognized worldwide at numerous events. Among those events this year was the 2014 IP Champions Conference, held on April 23, 2014 by the […]
Tax Day – For Some of Us
For most Americans, April 15 is a day of fear and loathing. It is time to account for all of the taxes owed to various levels of government. If someone has overpaid, money will be coming back. If a taxpayer has underpaid, a (sometimes large) check must be written. But if someone earns money that […]
Times Have Changed
Once there was a time when 30-page college papers were typed on portable electric typewriters, research was done in library stacks, and job applications were filled out by hand. Taxes were filed on paper and mailed (postmarked no later than April 15th) at the local post office, and shopping meant going to the local market […]
Don’t Expand Government Broadband
On March 18, 2014, I had the opportunity to attend the Free State Foundation’s Sixth Annual Telecom Policy Conference. Keynoted by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, former acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen, the conference covered the continued need for spectrum, broadband deployment in the U.S., the use of TV whitespaces for wireless use, and updating the Communications Act of 1934.