WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In response to the Committee on Ways and Means' inclusion of tax credits for municipal broadband in the reconciliation package, Adam Brandon, President of FreedomWorks, commented:
On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Gigabit Opportunity Act, H.R. 3377, introduced by Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.). The Gigabit Opportunity Act would support rural broadband development by amending the tax code to authorize the designation of qualified gigabit opportunity zones in low-income communities, and to provide tax incentives for investments in these zones.
When reviewing the Biden administration’s broadband proposals, it’s worth refreshing a classic Reagan aphorism: The 13 most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the Government, and I’m here to bring you affordable, reliable broadband.”
FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon issued the following statement on FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr’s speech announcing the next step in the Commission’s wireless infrastructure plan:
Microsoft recently unveiled its plan to close the rural-urban broadband gap with “Airband,” a technology that delivers broadband through empty radiofrequency. Airband will bring internet service to rural communities in six different states, a move widely seen as the first major investment in TV white space broadband.
Recently, the economic disparity of the urban-rural divide has garnered substantial attention, especially as it relates to Internet and technological expansion. Rural economies suffer from a lack of Internet connectivity relative to urban areas, with rural adults being 10 percent less likely to have broadband or smartphones than urban adults.
FreedomWorks Foundation filed comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday regarding spectrum regulations for TV white space Internet services. If permitted by the FCC, private firms could offer wireless broadband to people living in areas lacking internet infrastructure. The FCC is considering a hearing on white space in July that could lead to wider broadband accessibility in the future.
Net neutrality activists claim that repealing Title II regulatory expansion will place your internet access in the hands of monopolistic telecom giants. Allegedly, uncompetitive internet service providers (ISPs) will raise rates, provide miserable service, and arbitrarily choose which websites you access. These concerns stem from alleged reports that ISPs face little competition for broadband services, citing that 48% of Americans living in an area with only one broadband provider of FCC standard high speed internet.
This Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously voted in favor of the Mobile Now Act, a bipartisan effort introduced by Senator John Thune, which would open up large amounts of broadband spectrum, currently being used by the government, to commercial and unlicensed use. Proposals like the Mobile Now are exactly the steps the nation should be taking in encouraging rapid innovation in the broadband marketplace.
A growing number of economists are describing the current slump as a form of secular stagnation, where diminishing outlets for capital investment have slowed economic growth, reduced the demand for labor and stalled the economic recovery. While the technology sector remains one of the few areas of the economy where innovation and growth continue at a rapid pace, the Federal Communications Commission is moving forward with a series of new rules that may shackle this important part of the economy. From new mandates for municipal broadband to redefining what broadband means, to proposals to turn the Internet into a common carrier, the FCC is working to reshape how Americans connect to the Internet.