community
Taxing Telecom: Big hangover for broadband
By Scott Stevenson
PRESIDENT, TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN
It’s fashionable these days for government
officials to talk about the importance of ex- panding broadband – high-speed Internet ser- vices – to all corners of the country. Far less fashionable, unfortunately, is talk about the development of pro-growth policy proposals to help private sector telecom companies invest in advanced Internet networks.
Instead, what we’ve seen is Michigan’s gover-
nor proposing to raise taxes on businesses and consumers by $554 million, a federal agency using $41.6 million in tax dollars to fund a project that will overbuild existing broadband networks, and the Federal Communications Commission calling for more government in- volvement in the provision of Internet servic- es.
The message being sent is clear: Govern-
ment thinks it can provide better choices for customers than the private sector – and it’s willing to hike taxes and impose new regula- tions to prove it.
This is a dangerous mix that may provide a
short term buzz for politicians, but will be bad for taxpayers who will pay the tab but could end up with higher prices and fewer broadband op- tions.
The costs of building and continually up-
grading broadband networks are enormous. Private sector providers have spent hundreds of billions of dollars deploying high-speed In- ternet customers. Billions more will soon be in the pipeline as providers increase the speeds and capabilities to keep pace with demand. But providers in Michigan are facing some critical questions: Can they afford to keep investing given the potential new tax burden they and their customers face? And does private invest- ment makes sense when government is using tax dollars to build unnecessary new networks that will compete against them?
Scott Stevenson
A recent $41.6 mil- lion grant awarded by the National Telecommunica- tions & Information Administ rat ion (NTIA) is a prime example of what’s going wrong. NTIA awarded the money to an organization controlled by Mich- igan’s public uni- versities (wonder why tuition costs are skyrocket- ing?) to build a
broadband network across much of the Lower Peninsula even though the FCC’s own maps show multiple private sector networks already exist. This money should have been targetted to Michigan’s most remote areas—not already served markets.
The FCC’s National Broadband Plan is
making a big media splash. The plan itself is massive and will require a decade or more to implement. Michigan’s providers need policy changes to help them meet the needs of their customers free of government interference. But from the sheer size of the FCC’s Plan, less gov- ernment involvement is the one thing providers won’t get.
Against this backdrop, broadband compa-
nies that have risked their own capital to pro- vide services to communities across Michigan are faced with a crucial question. Should they keep on investing in broadband or spend the money on aspirin?
The Telecommunications Association of
Michigan was established in 1935 and has grown into Michigan’s largest trade associa- tion serving the telecommunications indus- try. TAM’s membership includes the state’s most advanced telecom providers, all of whom provide broadband services to residential and business.
Michigan Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association to hold Citizenship Day
The Michigan chapter of the
American Immigration Law- yers Association (MI-AILA) will present Citizenship Day 2010, a workshop providing assis- tance to non-U.S. citizen state residents eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. The event is taking place on Sunday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Troy Community Center, 3179 Livernois, in Troy.
This year, in an effort to
streamline the application process, the MI-AILA is con- ducting a prescreening proce- dure by phone. The MI-AILA is asking prospective applicants to call (313) 638-2249 between
10 a.m. and 4 p.m. beginning March 22. While prescreened individuals will be given ap- pointments and priority, walk- in applicants to the workshop will also be accepted.
“We are placing further
importance on the event this year by adding the prescreen- ing process. Those applicants who go through the prescreen- ing will not only save a great deal of time, but will know be- forehand whether or not they are eligible to become a U.S. citizen,” said Scott Cooper, event coordinator
Those eligible for citizen- ship include Lawful Perma-
nent Residents who have been permanent residents for four years and nine months, or for two years and nine months if the spouse of a U.S. citizen. Individuals must be able to speak, read, and write Eng- lish and pass a civics test or qualify for a waiver of those requirements. If these require- ments are met, applicants will receive information and an ap- pointment on April 18.
To become a partner/co-
sponsor of the event, please contact David Stoyka or Emile Mahanti at (248) 855- 6777.
For all pre-screening, please call (313) 638-2249.
(313) 633-5904 Cell • (313) 255-4653
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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
April 7-13, 2010
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