By Felicity Ussher, 19 March 1999 18:13
NEWS The US government is under fire from politicians who want a permanent guarantee that the Internet will not be taxed. Republican lobbyists sent a letter of protest to William Kennard, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), yesterday. They claimed to be acting on behalf of thousands of Web surfers, who have emailed them with their concerns. According to Wired in the US, the letter states: "To end this uncertainty once and for all & we are writing to ask you to work with us on legislation & to make it clear that the FCC will not regulate the Internet or impose access charges on Internet service." The FCC has stated many times that it is not considering taxing the Web, but its promises have all been short-term. The Republican party has long advocated a weakening of the FCC's power in all aspects of legislation. But despite this, law-makers say this latest campaign may well succeed, although there is no such legislation in the pipeline at present.
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