[Elecraft] bill to charge for e-mail

Sat Mar 2 19:31:01 2002

I'm a little confused about this.  Am I to understand that the USPS wants to
charge the RECEIVER for postage?  If a postal rate is to be applied - not to
say that I agree with it - but if so, it should be a flat rate, like a PO
box.  That cost should be part of the cost of your ISP or web hosting
service.  If a 'per-piece' fee is to be assessed, it must be paid by the
SENDER as there really is no way to reject email.

Tell me where I am wrong here......thanks!

Jim,
N2SUB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne Rogers" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, March 02, 2002 4:22 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] bill to charge for e-mail

>
>
>
> I just received the following from KN6ZB.  Thought it was significant
> enough to forward to you.  Excuse me if you think it irrelevant.  Just
> delete it.  73,  Bill, W0OWY
> From: [email protected]
> To:  [email protected]
> Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 11:38 PM
> Subject: Fw: bill to charge for e-mail
>   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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