White House Looks to FCC To Impose Cellphone Tax Without Congressional Approval

Imperial will

WASHINGTON — That's one way to "cell" a fee hike.

Unwilling to ask Congress for extra funds to pay for high-speed Internet connections in schools, President Obama is instead looking to tack yet another charge on cellphones through the Federal Communications Commission.

The new program, called ConnectED, would expand an existing school-wiring effort and cost each cellphone user about $5 a year, said White House officials.