The Senate Finance Committee is considering a plan to give tax credits to wireless operators and other telecom players to increase broadband deployments in underserved areas. Such a move, broadband players have argued, would spur deployments more so than just grant and loan money.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced an amendment that would give a 10 percent tax credit to companies that invest in the expansion of current broadband technology, or 5 Mbps downlink and 1 Mbps uplink. In addition, the amendment also provides a 20 percent tax credit to invest in next-generation broadband, or 100 Mbps downlink and 20 Mbps uplink, in areas where broadband access is sparse or nonexistent.
For more:
- see RCR News [1]
Related articles:
Broadband stimulus package no blank check [2]
T-Mobile weighs in on possible broadband [3] stimulus incentives
Could the broadband stimulus [4] package be a coup for wireless broadband?
House committee passes broadband stimulus [5] package
Cell tax bill debated at House hearing
[6]CTIA: [7] 5 year tax hiatus on new state, local taxes
White House rejects FCC proposal on cell towers
[8]House investigates FCC's management practices [9]
Links:
[1] http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20090127/WIRELESS/901279985/1090/panel-to-approve-tax-credits-for-rural-broadband-rollout
[2] http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/stimulus/2009-01-22
[3] http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/t-mobile-weighs-possible-broadband-stimulus-incentives/2009-01-25
[4] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/could-broadband-stimulus-package-be-coup-wireless-broadband/2009-01-20?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FW0
[5] http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/house-passes-broadband-stimulus-package/2009-01-25
[6] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/cell-tax-bill-debated-house-hearing/2008-09-19
[7] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/ctia-5-year-tax-hiatus-on-new-state-local-taxes/2008-04-16
[8] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/white-house-rejects-fcc-proposal-cell-towers/2008-12-02
[9] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/house-investigates-fcc-s-management-practices/2008-03-13