Oregon lawmakers eye cellphone fee to pay for rural broadband

As internet speeds continue to lag in rural parts of the state, Oregon lawmakers are contemplating a new fee on cellphone service to help pay for expanded broadband in remote and underserved communities. OR House Bill 2184 would raise about $10 million a year to fund broadband projects through grants and loans. Advocates say it would cost cellphone subscribers between $4 and $12 a year. The bill will face fierce opposition from the wireless industry, though, which says it will fight to keep OR cellphone fees low. The industry says it doesn’t make sense to tax one kind of service – wireless phones – to subsidize a completely different kind of wired internet service.