There is a theory about the naming of legislation. Some titles are straight out of George Orwell’s “double-speak” dictionary. In other words (literally), whatever word is in the title usually means exactly the opposite of what the bill will do. Remember the “Affordable Care Act” (ACA)? Despite the promises of President Obama and his administration that this milestone legislation would reduce the cost of healthcare for most Americans, the ACA is on track to explode those costs for all but the poorest Americans.
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, […]
Communications Breakdown
By Deborah Collier On April 30, 2014, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler gave the keynote address (http://www.fcc.gov/document/chairman-tom-wheeler-remarks-ncta) at the 2014 Cable Show in Los Angeles. In a forceful speech, he declared that it was time to follow up on the January 2014 court decision on net neutrality and establish rules over Internet service […]
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 […]
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.
Court Rules on Net Neutrality
In 2005, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Broadband Policy Statement to define the principles of an “open Internet” in response to claims that Internet service providers were unfairly restricting access to content. The FCC stated that an individual should have an unrestricted ability to access lawful Internet content, run applications and use desired services and connect legal devices to the network. The statement also called for competition among network providers, application and service providers as well as content providers.
ARC Gets Earmark Boost
Those pork-barrel spenders are at it again. This time, they increased the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) by 23 percent, from $64.6 million to $80 million, in H.R. 3547, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was signed into law on January 17, 2014.