(no subject)

[Bostet@aol.com]

 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!
>

Bob Stettner