steven n fettig's Jitterin' Thoughts

    I was driving to work a while ago thinking about a conversation I had with a friend in Germany. It crossed my mind that even with the el cheapo rate of US$.07 per min. offered from IDT, I am still paying double what my German friends pay to call me. A while back I did some research into why this is the case - want to know why? (If you don't, you may gladly skip the rest of this babbling.) Because the FCC charges a USF fee - that stands for Universal Service Fund. Basically it was designed to give all the schools, libraries and other public institutions who didn't have the funding "free" internet service. Now, while I understand very well the desire for internet access, I don't see how the Federal government can justify stealing my hard earned money, just to shovel it off to some school in timbuktu for internet access. Firstly, the internet is not a right, it is a priviledge to those pay for it. Secondly, it is unfair to burden those of us who use the telecommunications services more than others with the price of paying for yet another government beaurocracy. Thirdly, I already pay unbelievably high property taxes to my own school - I still don't understand why it is my responsibility to provide for anyone outside of my own community. Okay, those of you who think that it is, I simply don't agree. I moved to a community out of free will and chose to put up with the tax burdens this community imposes upon me. At the same time, I have a say and a voice in my own community regarding the on-goings of local government. When a federal agency - for which my votes have little impact - decides to impose fees upon people nation-wide for spending that will effect local communities and not national institutions, I feel it is unjust and plain wrong.
    It is most ironic because of what was originally viewed as an inexpensive form of communication, e.g. the internet, has become a very expensive burden upon those who pay the price for telecommunications.