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Ajit Pai works to cap funding for rural and poor people, gets GOP backing
The Federal Communications Commission has preliminarily voted to cap spending on the FCC's Universal Service programs, which deploy broadband to poor people and to rural and other underserved areas.
[...] Pai's plan, as we previously reported, would set a combined cap of $11.4 billion on the four programs that make up the Universal Service Fund (USF).
Pai's proposal says that capping the fund at this level "will strike the appropriate balance between ensuring adequate funding for the Universal Service programs while minimizing the financial burden on ratepayers and providing predictability for program participants." All four Universal Service programs are paid for by Americans through fees on their phone bills.
The proposed cap of $11.4 billion is the same as the sum of the four programs' budgets for 2018 and would be indexed to keep pace with inflation under Pai's proposal. The new cap wouldn't have an immediate impact on actual spending, because it's higher than current spending. The FCC projects that the USF's total disbursements will be $10.2 billion in 2019 and remain below $10.5 billion annually through 2023.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 09 2019, @08:17PM (5 children)
Lots of red state voters are quite unhappy with the republicans, but are very tired of getting shit on by democrats.
Ignoring even the regular helpings of Coastal Contempt Inc. (featuring such hits as Bitter Clingers, Basket of Deplorables, Voting Against their own Interests and the ever-popular Flyover Fascists) there are the ideologically-driven activists pushing things like the continuation of the sagebrush wars, pandering to environmental pressure groups that don't apparently understand biology or ecology, but never saw a government intervention they didn't like.
Really, the bigger surprise is that it hasn't actually erupted in open civil war.
But yeah, they do vote, and a lot of them vote against the democrats, rather than for the republicans.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Monday June 10 2019, @12:07AM
I'll never forget my conversation with a poor truck driver who was voting against Obama because his bossman told him everybody would be laid off if Obama got elected... didn't happen, but didn't stop him from getting cowed by the fat cat.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 5, Informative) by NotSanguine on Monday June 10 2019, @02:44AM (3 children)
And as study after study has shown, most Democrats (regardless of where they live) are much more moderate (and tolerant) than Twitter might make you believe:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/08/upshot/democratic-electorate-twitter-real-life.html [nytimes.com]
https://news.gallup.com/poll/245462/democrats-favor-moderate-party-gop-conservative.aspx [gallup.com]
https://thefederalist.com/2019/04/13/evidence-twitter-skews-medias-understanding-americans-think/ [thefederalist.com]
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/for-democrats-twitter-is-not-real-life-but-it-could-be.html [nymag.com]
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/09/politics/democratic-party-voters-analysis/index.html [cnn.com]
As such, if you're reacting to the tiny group of Democrats being assholes (along with the similarly loud and assholic Rs) on Twitter, you're fooling yourself. The truth is that as *Americans* we have much more in common than we do differences. As polling data and common sense makes quite clear.
However, if you're just looking for folks to hate, rather than finding ways to make the US a better place for everyone, I guess they can be a convenient target.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 10 2019, @04:03PM (2 children)
This isn't about me. The folks you want to persuade don't read Soylent, and don't know it exists.
Go do your missionary work among the heathens, not on high street.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Monday June 10 2019, @04:29PM
So stating facts is "missionary" work now?
Besides, have you read the many comments here parroting the "Ds hate America and want to close your church and town hall and replace them with mosques and Sharia," narrative or something similarly ridiculous?
Engaging people in conversation and discussion is what this site is all about. Why shouldn't I share my thoughts and the data that informs them?
Yes, I realize you're probably trolling, but bits are cheap and I type fast. Toodles!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 10 2019, @05:52PM
:facepalm:
The cycle continues.