Award-winning author Madeleine L’Engle wrote in her 1968 novel, “The Young Unicorns,” that “[t]o take away a man’s freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice, is to manipulate him as though he were a puppet and not a person.”
Garage Bands At Risk
In a September 4, 2014 interview in Esquire Magazine, the legendary Gene Simmons of KISS spoke about the demise of rock, and the inability of new musicians to garner success in today’s music world. When he talked about the difficulty for a 15 year-old’s garage band to achieve success in the music industry because their […]
CAGW Files Comments on Net Neutrality Order
On July 7, 2014, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) President Tom Schatz filed public comments on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) May 15, 2014 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding net neutrality.
Senate Plans Short-term Fix to Taxes on Internet Access
If Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) gets his way, taxes on Internet access and other discriminatory or duplicate taxes will only be staved off until 2015, rolling the final decision on whether to make it permanent or to attach other more controversial measures onto the bill either for consideration during a lame duck session or until […]
House Passes Permanent Ban On Internet Taxes
Consumers across America are increasingly using the Internet to shop, apply for jobs, perform schoolwork, and email one another. In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission found in its annual report on advanced communications capabilities that 95 percent of Americans have access to broadband Internet services. According to the International Telecommunications Union, 84.2 percent of individuals […]
Telecom Heats Up the Summer Months
In March 2014, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released “Telecom Unplugged: Unleashing a New Digital Era,” which highlighted topical telecommunications issues. Now that summer is in full swing, politicians and bureaucrats are feverously pitching to finish their work on telecommunications legislation and regulations before the glorious August recess, when only the tourists trudge their way down the scorching hot Mall.
Tick Tock Goes The Clock – But H.R. 3086 Passes First Hurdle
On June 18, 2014, the House Judiciary Committee ordered reported to the House of Representatives by a vote of 30 to 4, H.R. 3086, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act. The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) sent a letter to committee on June 17, 2014 supporting this legislation and urging final passage before […]
FCC Chairman Takes another Stab at Controlling the Internet
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.