proposed 50p tax on each landline

[Jaberwocky]

It's simply about future proofing the country and the economy for the foreseeable future, sadly with an ever ageing population the the general attitude seems to be that people are interested in safe guarding the NHS and their pension and little else.

You have to remember that the lack of broadband access is already damaging the rural economy in many areas, as well and limiting social and educational opportunities. We can't just ignore the issue until the issue becomes critical.

[cHodAX]

I don't see why some clever fuckers can't come up with a way to double or triple analogue speeds tbh, it feels like they stopped trying once ADSL and cable were on the agenda. 200kbits is plenty enough for basic web browsing, that should be the basic requirement and nothing more.

[rynnor]

Originally Posted by Jaberwocky

You have to remember that the lack of broadband access is already damaging the rural economy in many areas, as well and limiting social and educational opportunities. We can't just ignore the issue until the issue becomes critical.

The lack of fields where i live is a fundamental human right and I expect all rural people to pay for the provision of fields where I live

Thats basically the arguement - I think its specious when you can get mobile broadband almost everywhere - chuck the mobile companies a few mill and make it 100% - much cheaper than laying cables.

[Lollie]

how long would the tax last for? surely there would come a point where every home has bb and the tax is no longer needed?

[rynnor]

Originally Posted by Lollie

how long would the tax last for? surely there would come a point where every home has bb and the tax is no longer needed?

It will last in perpetuity and probably go up - go stealth taxation!

[Bahumat]

Originally Posted by Lollie

how long would the tax last for? surely there would come a point where every home has bb and the tax is no longer needed?

Yeah good point. Also we'd have no clue as to which areas are being upgraded first so you may end up paying your £6 for the year and not actually get upgraded. I am curious as to how long it would take to upgrade all of england.

[DaGaffer]

Originally Posted by Bahumat

Yeah good point. Also we'd have no clue as to which areas are being upgraded first so you may end up paying your £6 for the year and not actually get upgraded. I am curious as to how long it would take to upgrade all of england.

They want it done by 2012.

[Vae]

I read somewhere that this tax would likely raise £150m per year but the cost of upgrading all broadband to the minimum specified is about £3bn so the idea of the tax is as seed money to trigger investment.

If you were relying on just the tax to fund this investment then you'd be talking 20+ years of this tax or a much higher tax.

Also regarding mobile broadband - it is an option in some areas but in a lot of the areas without normal broadband access there is also a problem with Mobile access let alone mobile broadband access!

In general I am vehemently against the huge amount of stealth tax increases Labour have introduced but I think the report is right regarding ensuring a minimum level of internet access to the whole country. We are not only talking about now but about the future.

We can already see evidence of more and more services going online e.g. school work and research, filing tax returns online, claiming certain benefits etc online. In the next 10 years there will be an increase in these services and the reliance/assumption of people having access to the net. If action is not taken then anyone without access to the net will become deprived. You can already see it beginning to happen now.

[Moriath]

but its the principle of yet another tax when we are already they highest taxed population in recent memory. More than when the tories were in.

So yet another stealth tax .. the only reason the dont put up the basic rate of income tax is because its political suicide.

So lets add a little tax here and a little tax there so no one notices.

This is just one more of those and it is an unfair one also as the less well off will be affected more than the rich. And everyone has a land line. Well virtually.

[rynnor]

If its so important why isnt it centrally funded? - a few billion is chickenfeed in the uk budget - this seems a half assed approach much like the idea to support local papers and regional tv out of the license fee (another tax).

Everyone knows taxation will have to go up after the credit crunch - can we expect to see a million new forms of stealth taxation to support central spending so that they can say we didnt put up income tax?

How new labour of them

[GReaper]

Broadband is a necessity for most people, just look how far things have moved in the past 10+ years or so. Back then the Internet was just a research tool and something for geeks. I'm sure those of you saying that dialup is fine probably haven't experienced it for a long time.

The 2Mbit minimum requirement by 2012 is similar to having a phone line many years ago. By today's standards that's actually quite pathetic for most people, with connection speeds of up to 50Mbit/s achievable for anyone in a cable area.

I personally don't expect those in more rural areas to be able to get super fast broadband, however they need to have some respectable minimum requirement to keep them connected in the digital age.

[Chilly]

The concept of "everyone pays the same for a minimum service no matter the circumstances" is well established in our society. Healthcare, education, kind of policing and fire (these are paid directly from council tax etc but its almost the same) and others.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Zenith.UK

The report is suggesting that BT should increase EVERYONE's line rental to provide improved net access for ALL people. FFS ppl it's £6 a year.
Don't give me "credit crunch" or "recession" crap... most people spend that much in a day on lunch, coffee and munchies. That much spread over a year is next to nothing.

Thus speaks the semi-rural dweller.

Its my £6 a year, not yours. Keep your hands off my money.

[rynnor]

Originally Posted by Chilly

The concept of "everyone pays the same for a minimum service no matter the circumstances" is well established in our society.

Not for these kinds of services - if you want connection to many services in remote areas you have to pay for the work - how is this different?

[DaGaffer]

Originally Posted by rynnor

Not for these kinds of services - if you want connection to many services in remote areas you have to pay for the work - how is this different?

Because its not as simple as running a cable; you don't even have the option of paying for it if BT decree you're too far from the exchange or the exchange can't support you. There has to be a degree of compulsion to even get BT to the stage where you could given them money.