On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 11:38 AM, Miles Fidelman <mfidelman@meetinghouse.net> wrote:
Then again, I've often argued that the "universal service fund" used to subsidize rural carriers - which the large telcos always scream about - is legitimate, because when we pick up the phone and "dial," we're paying for the ability to reach people, not just empty dial-tone.
The USF worked great until the Clinton administration re-purposed it to buy computers for rural schools. Now it's just another tax. Before that, the basic idea was that every phone line paid in a fixed amount every month and then when a phone company installed an expensive rural line, they recovered the excess cost from the fund. This made high-density urban lines cost neutral compared to low density rural lines, making rural service desirable for the service provider. Regards, Bill Herrin -- William D. Herrin ................ herrin@dirtside.com bill@herrin.us 3005 Crane Dr. ...................... Web: <http://bill.herrin.us/> Falls Church, VA 22042-3004