This week, Senators have the opportunity to stand up for Internet freedom and vote to keep the Internet Tax Freedom Forever (ITFFA) provision in the customs bill. A vote against ITFFA is a vote against the Internet.
Katie McAuliffe | All Articles
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Katie McAuliffe is executive director of Digital Liberty, an Americans for Tax Reform affiliate.
Federalism was not the Tenth Amendment to the constitution for an arbitrary reason. Maintaining checks and balances on power, including the relationship between states and the federal government, is fundamental to American governance. Further, the closer a government is to its voters the more responsive it will be. When each constituent is a face and not a number, elected officials are more likely to know their constituents’ wants and needs.
The phrase "net neutrality" has changed drastically over the years. In the beginning it was meant to prevent bad actors, particularly when it comes to blocking content or slowing down content for a competitive advantage. Some how Title II and net neutrality have become synonymous, but they are not.
Hungary's transparent attempt to limit Internet freedom through taxation brought 100,000 Hungarians into the streets to protest. As of now, the Hungarian government has put the brakes on an Internet tax.
This week the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA). While webcasters simulcasting Internet radio or providing non-interactive radio services argue that royalty rates are too high, artists and record labels disagree. Currently, non-interactive Internet radio services like Pandora are held to the willing buyer/willing seller rate-determining standard, while digital music services over cable and satellite, like Music Choice and SiriusXM, are held to the pre-1998 801(b) standard. (Digital non-interactive radio is a music service where you have little control over the songs you listen to; it is primarily passive. Interactive radio services like Spotify give users more control over what songs they hear, how often and the order.)