Should those who enjoy broadband internet service be required to subsidize those who don't? The big internet companies think it's a swell idea. And why not? Forcing the taxpayer to bear the financial burden of broadband expansion is better than them having to pay for the infrastructure. The FCC is going ahead with this idea - mostly under the congressional radar. The Hill: The Federal Communications Commission is eyeing a proposal to tax broadband Internet service. The move would funnel money to the Connect America Fund, a subsidy the agency created last year to expand Internet access. The FCC issued a request for comments on the proposal in April. Dozens of companies and trade associations have weighed in, but the issue has largely flown under the public's radar. "If members of Congress understood that the FCC is contemplating a broadband tax, they'd sit up and take notice," said Derek Turner, research director for Free Press, a consumer advocacy group that opposes the...(Read Full Post)