[TriLUG] Fw: Fw: Proposed email charges from the US Postal Service!!

[al johson]

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.
=================================
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jimmy Harmon 
To: al johnson 
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: NAVDAD at aol.com
  To: ASFair55 at aol.com
  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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