Sponsored by Senator Mike Enzi, the Marketplace Fairness Act would allow states, provided they have met certain conditions, to require large internet and mail-order retailers to collect state and local sales taxes. Continue reading
The Community Broadband Bits Podcast recently published episode #32, a talk with Harold Feld of Public Knowledge. Harold is Senior Vice President of the organization which focuses on advocating for digital rights. Harold also authors Tales of the Sausage Factory, a blog dedicated to telecom policy, software, science, technology and writing. In the February 5th… Continue reading
Current federal policy exempts online and mail-order retailers from having to collect state and local sales taxes, giving them a sizable 4 to 9 percent price advantage over local stores. Advocates of a level playing field are calling on Congress to remedy this inequity by passing the Main Street Fairness Act. Meanwhile, New York state is leading the way in using existing state authority to require that large online retailers be subject to the same sales tax requirements as local businesses. Continue reading
Although only 0.1% of electricity is generated by solar power in 2012; within a decade, 300,000 MW of unsubsidized solar power will be at parity with retail electricity prices in most of the United States and more than 35 million buildings may be generating their own solar electricity sufficient to power almost 10% of the country. Continue reading
Introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown on May 9, 2012, the following bill would place size and leverage limits on big banks, forcing the largest four banks in the country to downsize. Continue reading
In 1994, Congress adopted a policy that bars a bank from buying another bank if the combined entity would hold more than 10 percent of the country’s deposits, but the policy has several flaws that have allowed at least two banks to exceed the cap. Continue reading
Open standards and open source are essential to local self-reliance. Citizens and communities should have the right to modify the technology they use in order to improve it and solve problems. Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, has compared software to a recipe. When cooking, you do not need permission to alter the pancake recipe to your taste. When you come across a problem in software that you are using, you should have the right to fix it. Continue reading
Within ten years, 100 million Americans in the nation’s largest cities will be able to get cheaper electricity from rooftop solar than their utility provides. That’s just the opening salvo from a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Rooftop Revolution: Changing Everything with Cost-Effective Solar,” not only illustrates the enormous, emerging potential for local solar power, but also describes how the rules of the electricity system must change now for the electricity system to be ready for the decade’s energy democracy opportunity. Continue reading
While chain retailers and other large corporations have access to financing through the capital markets (which many of us help fund through our retirement plans and other investments), independent businesses have a much more challenging time securing financing. Below we have assembled examples of the kinds of institutions and policies that are essential to financing… Continue reading
Laws in some European countries, most notably Germany, require all bookstores, including online sellers, to sell books at fixed prices. Supporters say outlawing discounts protects independent bookstores and small publishers, which in turn ensures that a broader variety of books are available and that there is less focus on best-sellers. Continue reading
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