this is a hoax. why is it so hard to stop this thing from spreading??
(sigh)
At 04:16 PM 08/19/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>ALSO: What implications would this have for AIM???
>
>Subject: New Bill
>
>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 n 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-ail
>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
>non-interference.
> 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
> &nbs! p; 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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