June 2018

Financing Broadband Access Should Not Entail Taxing Broadband Access

[Commentary] A federal push to expand access to high-speed internet is incongruous with and state and local governments increasing their taxes on that service. Our federal government does not think this is desirable and is prepared to make a sizeable expenditure to increase access to high-speed broadband. To turn around and have another government entity tax the service it is subsidizing--and to use the money not to fund internet access in its community but treat it as general revenue, as Eugene (OR) does--defeats a rare bipartisan goal.