Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Andy Naylor" <Andy_Naylor AT dialog.com>]

Subject: Fw: Federal Bill 602P- 5 cents per e-mail

Vote NO on 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 non-interference. You
are already paying an exorbitant price for snail mail because of
bureaucratic efficiency. 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.