Japan Ponders Wi-Fi Device Tax

edited September 2004 in Science & Tech
The U.S. government is encouraging Japan to drop a proposal to tax users of Wi-Fi devices and high-bandwidth wireless local area networks. Doing so, it claims, would result in dampening demand and slowing development of wireless Internet services.
Like most industrialized nations, including the United States, Japan already imposes fees on licensed, commercial providers of spectrum in order to promote proper airwave management and to discourage the warehousing of spectrum by exclusive holders. In late July, the Japanese Telecommunications Ministry published a study recommending extending the fee regime to products designed for unlicensed radio use, including standards-based wireless devices. The agency said the new fees will be used for spectrum administration and R&D costs.
Source: Internet News
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