You may have already received this info --it seems to be a real
possibility:
>
>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!
It might be good to >
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.
>
