Stevens promotes Internet subsidy

[SOURCE: Daily News-Miner (Fairbanks) 2/14, AUTHOR: Sam Bishop]
High-speed Internet service in rural parts of the United States ought to be subsidized in a manner similar to long-distance phone calls, Sen. Ted Stevens said in a wide-ranging speech on telecommunications issues Monday. Sen Stevens, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, also said the subsidy for long-distance calls to and from sparsely populated parts of the country must be strengthened. He warned against efforts to make people in regions such as Alaska pay more for the service. Republican Sens. Conrad Burns of Montana and Gordon Smith of Oregon have introduced bills that would help bring high-speed broadband Internet service to rural areas using the Universal Service Fund, Stevens noted. "I endorse that principle," Sen Stevens said. "Without it, rural America will never make it onto the on-ramp of the information superhighway. Rural people could be left on a dirt road with dial-up Internet if they are not included in broadband through USF." However, the fund already is running short of the money it needs, Sen Stevens noted. "The current contribution mechanism of assessing only interstate revenue is broken and it needs reform," he said.
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