Posted by TerryS (24.24.79.72) on September 02, 2001 at 15:49:47:
Subject: Federal Bill 602p
> >
> > Guess the warnings were true. Federal Bill 602P 5-cents per E-mail
sent.
> > It figures! No more free E-mail! We knew this was coming!! Bill 602P
> > will
> > permit the Federal Government to charge a 5-cent charge on every
delivered
> >
> > E-mail. Please read the following carefully if you intend to stay
online
> > and
> > continue using E-mail. The last few months have revealed an alarming
> > trend
> > in the Government of the United States attempting to quietly push
through
> > legislation that will affect our use of the Internet.
> >
> > Under proposed legislation, the US Postal Service will be attempting to
> > bill
> > E-mail users out of "alternative postage fees."
> >
> > Bill 602P will permit the Federal Government to charge a 5-cent
surcharge
> > on
> > every e-mail delivered, by billing Internet Service Providers at source.
> > The
> > consumer would then be billed in turn by the ISP.
> >
> > Washington DC lawyer Richard Stepp is working without pay to prevent
this
> > legislation from becoming law. The US Postal Service is claiming lost
> > revenue, due to the proliferation of E-mail, is costing nearly
> > $230,000,000
> > in revenue per year. You may have noticed their recent ad campaign:
"There
> > is
> > nothing like a letter."
> >
> > Since the average person received about 10 pieces of E-mail per day in
> > 1998,
> > the cost of the typical individual would be an additional 50 cents a day
> > --
> > or
> > over $180 per year -- above and beyond their regular Internet costs.
> >
> > Note that this would be money paid directly to the US Postal Service for
a
> >
> > service they do not even provide.
> >
> > The whole point of the Internet is democracy and noninterference. You
are
> > already paying an exorbitant price for snail mail because of
bureaucratic
> > inefficiency. It currently takes up to 6 days for a letter to be
> > delivered
> > from coast to coast. If the US Postal Service is
> > allowed to tinker with E-mail, it will mark the end of the "free"
Internet
> > in
> > the United States.
> >
> > Congressional representative, Tony Schnell (R) has even suggested a
> > "$20-$40
> > per month surcharge on all Internet service" above and beyond the
> > governments
> > proposed E-mail charges. Note that most of the major newspapers have
> > ignored
> > the story the only exception being the Washingtonian which called the
idea
> > of
> > E-mail surcharge "a useful concept who's time has come" (March 6th, 1999
> > Editorial). Do not sit by and watch your freedom erode away!
> >
> > Send this E-mail to EVERYONE on your list, and tell all your friends and
> > relatives to write their congressional representative and say "NO" to
> > Bill
> > 602P.
> >
> > It will only take a few moments of your time and could very well be
> > instrumental in killing a bill we do not want.
> >
> > PLEASE FORWARD!
> >