Congress Passes Internet Tax Moratorium Extension

The House has now joined the Senate in passing an extension of the Internet Tax Moratorium:

A bill to extend a moratorium on Internet access taxes for seven years was approved 402-0 by the House Tuesday, less than two days before it was set to expire.

The House initially approved a four-year ban, but last week the Senate passed a seven-year prohibition, despite considerable support for a permanent ban.

"Seven years is better than nothing, and that's what we're doing today," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich, during remarks on the House floor.

A House bill that would make the moratorium permanent has 238 House co-sponsors, more than a majority.

The tax ban, first approved in 1998 and twice renewed, is set to expire Nov. 1.

While an extension of the ban was supported by nearly all Members of both House and Senate, the fight was whether to enact a temporary ban or a permanent one. Action was forced last week when Senator Sununu (R-NH) filed an amendment to Amtrak reauthorization legislation that would have forced a vote on the permanent ban he had introduced. That led to a compromise on a 7-year extension, which was longer than the Democratic leaders in the Senate wanted.

The measure has already been sent to the president, who is expected to sign it promptly.