Political Quotes

“this week the Senate will spend most of its time on the question of taxation of the Internet. Having been the principal sponsor of the legislation on this subject in the Senate twice, I would be the first to say this subject inherently is about as interesting as prolonged root canal work. But at the same time, I think it is fair to say the decisions the Senate makes with respect to this subject will say a whole lot about the future of the Internet. For example, the decisions will determine, to some extent, whether e-mail and spam filters and Google searches and Web sites and instant messaging are singled out for discriminatory tactics. The Senate is going to have to make some decisions about whether Internet access through cable is tax free, but consumers who choose DSL Internet access would get taxed. I wanted to take just a few minutes this afternoon to go through some of the history with respect to this issue, and particularly suggest that I think the key, as the Senate takes up this subject, is to keep in mind two principles that have been important to me. First has been the question of technological neutrality.”