This overachievement in connectivity could quickly be reversed, however, if IFTA is allowed to expire. Studies have found that Internet taxes could reverse the gains in rural and low-income web access made by the massive investments government and the private sector have made in connecting these communities, and that the U.S. could lose 30 million mobile broadband customers if the tax moratorium expires. That figure represents 30 million individuals and businesses who would be priced out of an increasingly essential service, hampering our ability to connect with and learn from one another, and making it more difficult for small businesses to compete.

New Internet taxes would also regressively target those who can least afford to pay, and do so surreptitiously, by adding hidden fees to their monthly Internet bills. Because nearly everyone uses the Internet, low-income families would be subjected to the exact same taxes as wealthier taxpayers, putting a proportionately larger strain on their budgets and making them more likely to cut back on service — despite studies showing that children who have Internet access at home are more likely to succeed in school. The tax would also be tacked on to the bottom of utility bills, making it less visible and shielding state legislators from the scrutiny they should receive for hiking taxes.