[DDN] Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Bailout of $44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that Failedto Build Out Their Networks]

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Larry Press <lpress () csudh edu>
Date: December 30, 2008 1:12:24 PM EST
To: "dave () farber net" <dave () farber net>
Subject: [Fwd: [DDN] Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure  
Bailout of	$44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that	 
Failedto Build Out Their Networks]

Dave,

This may be of interest to the IP community.

Larry

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [DDN] Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Bailout of  
$44Billion --- More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that	Failedto  
Build Out Their Networks
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:51:28 -0800
From: Bruce Kushnick <bruce () newnetworks com>
Reply-To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group <digitaldivide () digitaldivide net 
>
To: 'The Digital Divide Network discussion group' <digitaldivide () digitaldivide net 
>

Teletruth News Analysis, December 22, 2008

Free Press Proposes Broadband Infrastructure Bailout of $44 Billion ---
(More Taxes to Give Wealthy Companies that Failed to Build Out Their
Networks.)

To read the rest of this story
http://www.newnetworks.com/Freepressbroadband.htm

There has been a call for ‘stimulus packages’ to help with our current
economic crisis and new infrastructure initiatives, such as the  
upgrading of
roads and bridges, are on the top of the list.  There are also a  
number of
groups who care about broadband infrastructure and want their billions  
as
well. The arguments – more jobs, better productivity, etc, may be well
intentioned, but the unasked question is:  Who should pay for it and who
should built it?
While we agree that America needs to have a national broadband
infrastructure initiative, we are against the current plans by many,
including Free Press, who wants to raise taxes and give a $44 billion  
dollar
bailout to the very companies who are responsible for America’s  
broadband
infrastructure crisis. There are multiple reasons why we’re against  
this.

Free Press Report: “Down Payment on Our Digital Future: Stimulus  
Policies
for the 21st-Century Economy, “a comprehensive set of proposals that  
would
deploy a forward-looking national broadband infrastructure.”
http://www.freepress.net/node/46686

Free Press does seem to get some of the major issues, such as the fact  
that
America is 15th in broadband or that we should have open, competitive
networks.  Yet, Free Press and others simply miss the major point ---
raising everyone’s taxes -- to bail out the same companies that failed  
to
properly upgrade America’s essential infrastructure is simply the wrong
approach, Also, Free Press has excluded items that need to be discussed,
including true accountability and even a discussion of how we ended up
becoming a 3rd world broadband power.

To read the rest of this story
http://www.newnetworks.com/Freepressbroadband.htm

Bruce Kushnick, Teletruth



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