‘Congress must act to restore our global leadership in broadband ...
“Congress must act to restore our global leadership in broadband networks,” Sen. Smith (R-Ore.) said Tues. in prepared remarks to the Fiber to the Home Council annual meeting. Internet services, not voice, fuel innovation, he said, urging Congress to…
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pass a bill (S-711) he co-sponsored with Sens. Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Pryor (D-Ark.) to allow annual use of $500 million from the Universal Service Fund (USF) to extend rural broadband. Smith introduced the bill Feb. 28. Smith also supports S-234 to bolster wireless broadband and municipal investment in Wi-Fi networks. Smith said he and Sen. Kerry (D-Mass.) will introduce a bill to push broadband by providing credits for research, depreciation for broadband equipment and credits for deploying broadband services to charitable and local emergency response entities. The bill would require a Dept. of Treasury study of depreciability of fiber equipment used in telecom services, Smith said: “All of these tax incentives will be temporary in order to spur broadband deployment over the next few years.”