'The Harris Broadband Rollout Has Been a Fiasco'

'Three years after the $42.5 billion subsidy passed, not a single
project is underway. Here’s why.'

<https://www.wsj.com/opinion/kamala-harris-joe-biden-broadband-internet-rollout-cox-communications-8acba576>

'Government makes many promises, the Biden Administration more than
most. Results are another story. For the latest example of the latter,
consider the “internet for all” plan that President Biden tapped Kamala
Harris to lead. Fiasco is the word for it.

Opinion: Potomac Watch
WSJ Opinion Potomac Watch
Will Jack Smith’s New Filing Affect the 2024 Election?

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The 2021 infrastructure law included $42.5 billion for states to expand
broadband to “unserved,” mostly rural, communities. Three years later,
ground hasn’t been broken on a single project. The Administration
recently said construction won’t start until next year at the earliest,
meaning many projects won’t be up and running until the end of the
decade.

Blame the Administration’s political regulations. States must submit
plans to the Commerce Department about how they’ll use the funds and
their bidding process for providers. Commerce has piled on mandates that
are nowhere in the law and has rejected state plans that don’t advance
progressive goals.

Take how the Administration is forcing providers to subsidize service
for low-income customers. Commerce required that Virginia revise its
plan so bidders had to offer a specified “affordable” price. This is
rate regulation.

On 10/5/2024 5:53 AM, John Smyth wrote:
> 'The Harris Broadband Rollout Has Been a Fiasco'
>
> 'Three years after the $42.5 billion subsidy passed, not a single
> project is underway. Here’s why.'
>
> <https://www.wsj.com/opinion/kamala-harris-joe-biden-broadband-internet-rollout-cox-communications-8acba576>
>
> 'Government makes many promises, the Biden Administration more than
> most. Results are another story. For the latest example of the latter,
> consider the “internet for all” plan that President Biden tapped Kamala
> Harris to lead. Fiasco is the word for it.
>
> Opinion: Potomac Watch
> WSJ Opinion Potomac Watch
> Will Jack Smith’s New Filing Affect the 2024 Election?
>
>
> Subscribe
> Explore Audio Center
> The 2021 infrastructure law included $42.5 billion for states to expand
> broadband to “unserved,” mostly rural, communities. Three years later,
> ground hasn’t been broken on a single project. The Administration
> recently said construction won’t start until next year at the earliest,
> meaning many projects won’t be up and running until the end of the
> decade.
>
> Blame the Administration’s political regulations. States must submit
> plans to the Commerce Department about how they’ll use the funds and
> their bidding process for providers. Commerce has piled on mandates that
> are nowhere in the law and has rejected state plans that don’t advance
> progressive goals.
>
> Take how the Administration is forcing providers to subsidize service
> for low-income customers. Commerce required that Virginia revise its
> plan so bidders had to offer a specified “affordable” price. This is
> rate regulation.

When you put stupid liberals in charge of something they find ways to
steal the money for other woke purposes and nothing gets done.

On Sat, 05 Oct 2024 08:53:20 -0400, John Smyth <smythlejon2@hotmail.com> wrote:

>'The Harris Broadband Rollout Has Been a Fiasco'
>
>'Three years after the $42.5 billion subsidy passed, not a single
>project is underway. Here’s why.'
>
><https://www.wsj.com/opinion/kamala-harris-joe-biden-broadband-internet-rollout-cox-communications-8acba576>
<snip>
>Take how the Administration is forcing providers to subsidize service
>for low-income customers. Commerce required that Virginia revise its
>plan so bidders had to offer a specified “affordable” price. This is
>rate regulation.

You're ignoring the fact that there is precedent under five Presidents.

FDR: Subsidized electric service for rural consumers.
Reagan: Lifeline subsidized phone service for the poor.
Clinton: Lifeline updated under the Telecommunications Act of 1997 to include
Internet and cell services.
Bush: The first free cell phones mandated.
Biden: Subsidized Internet service expanded.

FDR and his Democratic Congress:
"What Is the Rural Electrification Act?
The Rural Electrification Act, passed by Congress on May 20, 1936, was one of
the most important parts of President Franklin D.1 Roosevelt’s New Deal—a huge
series of programs, public works projects, financial reforms, and regulations
that went into effect between 1933 and 1939 and aimed to relieve the economic
hardship of the Great Depression.2 The Rural Electrification Act allocated
federal loans for the installation of electricity for Americans living in
remote, rural areas."
<https://www.investopedia.com/rural-electrification-act-5119177>

Clinton and his Republican Congress:
"The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a system of telecommunications subsidies
and fees managed by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to
promote universal access to telecommunications services in the United States.
The FCC established the fund in 1997 in compliance with the Telecommunications
Act of 1996. Originally designed to subsidize telephone service, since 2011 the
fund has expanded its goals to supporting broadband universal service.[1] The
Universal Service Fund's budget ranges from $5–8 billion per year depending on
the needs of the telecommunications providers. These needs include the cost to
maintain the hardware needed for their services and the services themselves. In
2022 disbursements totaled $7.4 billion, split across the USF's four main
programs: $2.1 billion for the E-rate program, $4.2 billion for the high-cost
program, $0.6 billion for the Lifeline program, and $0.5 billion for the rural
health care program.[USAC 1]: 4 "
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Service_Fund>

Reagan and his mixed Congress:
"Lifeline is the Federal Communications Commission's program, established in
1985, intended to make communications services more affordable for low-income
consumers. Lifeline provides subscribers a discount on monthly telephone service
purchased from participating providers in the marketplace. Subscribers can also
purchase discounted broadband internet from participating
providers.[1][2][3][4][5] The Lifeline program is funded by telephone fees as
part of the Universal Service Fund."
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeline_(FCC_program)>

Reagan's Lifeline has since been expanded to include internet and free cell
service for low income consumers.

"Obamaphone" Posted on October 29, 2009 | Updated on Nov. 5, 2009
"Q: Has the Obama administration started a program to use "taxpayer money" to
give free cell phones to welfare recipients?

"A: No. Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone
service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies,
not by taxes, and the president has nothing to do with it."
<https://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/the-obama-phone/>

The first free cell service was instituted under George Bush.
"Lifeline telecommunications services have long generated controversy, but over
the last few years, critics have been especially vociferous, railing against
what they have termed “Obamaphones,” wireless phones with modest free service
allotments provided to low income users. (As discussed below, and as this
snopes.com explainer says, the term is a misnomer in that the Lifeline program
dates to the 1980's and it was expanded to wireless during the George W. Bush
Administration.)"
<https://www.benton.org/blog/lifeline-where-did-it-come#:~:text=the%20George%20W.-,Bush%20Administration.,/fcc97157/sec03.html)>

--
Although Trump is not among Project 2025'- 34 authors, more than half are appointees
and staff from his time as president; the words "Trump" and "Trump
Administration" appear 300 times in its pages. At least 140 former Trump
officials are involved in Project 2025, according to a CNN tally. It’s
reasonable to expect that a second Trump presidency would follow many of
the project’s recommendations.

Two more reasons to not vote for Trump in 31 days.

30) Even while he was being investigated for trying
to get Ukraine to interfere in the U.S. election, Trump
publicly called for China to interfere in the election.
Trump: "China should start an investigation into the Bidens."

31) Long before election day Trump started making
false claims that the election would be rigged.

On Sat, 5 Oct 2024 12:07:08 -0700, michael horton <mikehorton@ucsb.edu> wrote:

>> Take how the Administration is forcing providers to subsidize service
>> for low-income customers. Commerce required that Virginia revise its
>> plan so bidders had to offer a specified “affordable” price. This is
>> rate regulation.
>
>When you put stupid liberals in charge of something they find ways to
>steal the money for other woke purposes and nothing gets done.

Blame Reagan for that. He's the one that started that Lifeline phone service
that ended up giving people free cell phones.

--
Although Trump is not among Project 2025'- 34 authors, more than half are appointees
and staff from his time as president; the words "Trump" and "Trump
Administration" appear 300 times in its pages. At least 140 former Trump
officials are involved in Project 2025, according to a CNN tally. It’s
reasonable to expect that a second Trump presidency would follow many of
the project’s recommendations.

Two more reasons to not vote for Trump in 31 days.

30) Even while he was being investigated for trying
to get Ukraine to interfere in the U.S. election, Trump
publicly called for China to interfere in the election.
Trump: "China should start an investigation into the Bidens."

31) Long before election day Trump started making
false claims that the election would be rigged.

"michael horton" <mikehorton@ucsb.edu> wrote in message
news:vds2ol$tgg$7@toxic.dizum.net...
> On 10/5/2024 5:53 AM, John Smyth wrote:
>> 'The Harris Broadband Rollout Has Been a Fiasco'
>>
>> 'Three years after the $42.5 billion subsidy passed, not a single
>> project is underway. Here’s why.'
>>
>> <https://www.wsj.com/opinion/kamala-harris-joe-biden-broadband-internet-rollout-cox-communications-8acba576>
>>
>> 'Government makes many promises, the Biden Administration more than
>> most. Results are another story. For the latest example of the latter,
>> consider the “internet for all” plan that President Biden tapped Kamala
>> Harris to lead. Fiasco is the word for it.
>>
>> Opinion: Potomac Watch
>> WSJ Opinion Potomac Watch
>> Will Jack Smith’s New Filing Affect the 2024 Election?
>>
>>
>> Subscribe
>> Explore Audio Center
>> The 2021 infrastructure law included $42.5 billion for states to expand
>> broadband to “unserved,” mostly rural, communities. Three years later,
>> ground hasn’t been broken on a single project. The Administration
>> recently said construction won’t start until next year at the earliest,
>> meaning many projects won’t be up and running until the end of the
>> decade.
>>
>> Blame the Administration’s political regulations. States must submit
>> plans to the Commerce Department about how they’ll use the funds and
>> their bidding process for providers. Commerce has piled on mandates that
>> are nowhere in the law and has rejected state plans that don’t advance
>> progressive goals.
>>
>> Take how the Administration is forcing providers to subsidize service
>> for low-income customers. Commerce required that Virginia revise its
>> plan so bidders had to offer a specified “affordable” price. This is
>> rate regulation.
>
> When you put stupid liberals in charge of something they find ways to
> steal the money for other woke purposes and nothing gets done.

Case in point.. California High Speed Rail

in the 10 years since they started they have completed 57 miles of track.

And given the budget spent to this point.. each mile of track completed cost
in excess of $110 Million

At a proposed amount of track being 1776 miles it would take $200 Billion
dollars to lay the track alone.

Now.. Assuming we can move 20,000 passengers per day a ticket would need to
cost about $27,000 just to cover the costs in 20 years.

Who is going to ride it for that price? Those that could afford that are
taking their private jets.