Kerrey vows to stall telecommunications bill; seeking changes, Senator calls it a contract with corporations

Article Abstract:

U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey is protesting a telecommunications regulation bill being discussed in the Senate and is threatening to block passage of the bill because it favors corporations and ignores consumers. Kerrey says that he intends to delay the vote on the bill as long as possible in order to force the Senate to expand its debate on the issues its passage raises. The Senator says that the bill is essentially a contract with corporations and that the American people do not support the bill. Kerrey's move is a surprise for many senators because the bill has significant support from both parties and because some senators had been able to smooth differences between warring members of the telecommunications industry. Many senators are now delaying the introduction of their amendments for fear that Senator Kerrey will block their passage with endless debate.

Telecommunications, Telephone Communication, Political activity, United States. Congress. Senate, Telecommunication, Kerrey, Bob, Government Activity

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Europe's cheap phone calls (via U.S.) to get dearer

Article Abstract:

The European Union will likely permit governments to tax callback services, an increasingly popular means for providing inexpensive international calls. France and Germany will impose the sales tax immediately and all other European countries are expected to follow their example. A callback service routes European calls through the US to allow customers to pay the relatively inexpensive US long-distance rates. Because of the savings, callback services have flourished in recent years. Some industry experts contend that the ruling will have no effect because the governments will be unable to trace the calls. Other analysts worry about online privacy. Since these taxes will apply to online services and ISPs, governments will need to identify customers buying goods and services to tax them properly.

Wired Telecommunications Carriers, Telephone communications, exc. radio, Intnl Telephone Service, European Union, International telephone services, International communication, International communications

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