(Thursday, November 1) One day before a ban on Internet taxes was to expire, President Bush signed a seven-year extension of the moratorium that was approved by Congress in the past week.
The president signed the bill Wednesday without issuing a formal statement.
The House passed the legislation Tuesday, five days after Senate approval. The House had approved a four-year moratorium, but the Senate extended it to 2014 and Democratic leaders in the House agreed to move the Senate version.
Republicans pushed for a permanent ban, but Sens. John Sununu, R-N.H., and Thomas Carper, D-Del., offered the compromise measure.
Telecommunications companies and online retailers strongly supported a permanent ban, but were willing to accept a temporary moratorium as an alternative to expiration. The Business Software Alliance, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the wireless association CTIA, the Telecommunication Industry Association and the U.S. Telecom Association all backed the moratorium.
Don't Tax Our Web, a coalition representing dozens of technology associations and companies, supported the seven-year ban, though it prefers a permanent fix.
600 New Hampshire Ave., NW