Congress Should Avoid Burdening Consumers with New Taxes on Broadband Internet Service
ALEC and 24 organizations sent an open letter urging Members of Congress to oppose new taxes on broadband service.
State and federal governments have partnered with the private sector to deploy high-speed broadband internet service across the country, but significant challenges remain to connect all Americans and finally close the “digital divide.” Unfortunately, some policymakers are considering problematic policies that would actually increase out of pocket costs for broadband customers, contradicting the goal to make it easier for Americans to connect.
ALEC and 24 organizations sent an open letter urging Members of Congress to oppose new taxes on broadband service intended to address revenue shortfalls plaguing the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) program. Such a move would trigger excessive price hikes on vital internet service for millions of American broadband customers.
Instead, Congress should focus on responsibly implementing the $42 billion in federal funds already appropriated for rural broadband deployment through the BEAD program, and removing regulatory barriers such as the Biden-Harris Administration’s burdensome Title II regulations on broadband providers.