The US Federal Communications Comm-ission’s proposal to impose access charges on operators of public data networks to cover the cost of routing traffic from the network to the local phone system, has generated a howl of protest from users of elec-tronic bulletin boards and operators of electronic information services alike: the proposed tax on knowledge […]
The US Federal Communications Comm-ission’s proposal to impose access charges on operators of public data networks to cover the cost of routing traffic from the network to the local phone system, has generated a howl of protest from users of elec-tronic bulletin boards and operators of electronic information services alike: the proposed tax on knowledge would double the cost of using electronic mail and other data services, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC has received 5,000 letters of complaint – 6,000 is the maximum ever on a telephone matter – and the closing date for comments is not until Oct-ober 26; the new charges, intended for January 1, have already been put back to sometime in the spring.