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Normally, I don't forward messages like this one.
But I'm making an exception because I received it from a very reputable source.
Naturally, this would impact the whole Interenet in an extremely negative
manner. Basically, the U.S. PostOffice wants the govt to levy a tax for them on
every email we send (and receive), and there is a bill in Congress!!---AL
Johnson.
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----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 6:00 PM
Subject: Fwd: Fw: Proposed email charges
Begin forwarded message:
>
Subject: Fw: Proposed email
charges
This alert on Federal Bill 602p was sent to me by a
friend. You may already be aware of it...I was not. Any kind of a
Federal Government charge on Internet use as per 602p or some variation
thereof would be most unfortunate. It certainly is worth our
attention as spelled out at the end of the
message.
----- Original Message -----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent:
Sunday, February 24, 2002 10:45 PM
Subject: Proposed email
charges
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!
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