Manuel Mirabal's blog

For nearly a decade, the Internet Tax Moratorium has prevented state and local governments from imposing taxes on Internet access services.  As this policy is due to expire this November, we support its extension through the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, S.156/H.R.743.  As this legislation comes before the House and Senate in the coming weeks, we urge you to support its passage.

Consumers watching TV with an antenna, will have to either purchase a digital TV or get a government subsidized digital converter box to continue to watch television after February 17, 2009.  These TV sets will operate on new digital channels. However, some high tech companies, like Microsoft, want to sell unlicensed devices that will use these digital television channels.  These devices are likely to interfere with TV reception.  TV pictures will freeze and the sound will go out.  Your neighbors using these devices will interfere with your television set.

On July 30, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) which seeks comment on potential DTV consumer education initiatives. Comments are due by September 17, 2007. The FCC seeks comment on requiring broadcasters, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), retailers and manufacturers to take certain actions to publicize the digital transition. It will facilitate the upcoming transition to digital on February 17, 2009, a deadline established by Congress.

Ten years ago, a group of leading Hispanic organizations formed HTTP to ensure that the needs and perspectives of the Hispanic community were included in policy debates regarding the Digital Divide. Since then, broadband technologies, and the accompanying telecommunications policy discussions, have evolved in ways we could not have imagined, but the gap between technology haves and have-nots continues to plague certain segments of our society.