Guest guest Posted October 3, 1999 Report Share Posted October 3, 1999 > Subject: US stamps for e-mails > > Please read the following carefully if you intend to stay on-line > 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 your use of the Internet. > > Under proposed legislation the U.S. Postal Service will be > attempting to bilk e-mail users out of " alternate postage fees " . > Bill 602P will permit the Federal govt. 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, D.C., lawyer > Stepp is working without pay to prevent this > legislation from becoming law. The U.S. Postal Service > is claiming that 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 citizen received > about 10 pieces of e-mail per day in 1998, the cost to the > typical individual would be an additional 50 cents per day, > or over $180 dollars per year, above and beyond their regular > Internet costs. Note that this would be money paid directly to > the U.S. Postal Service for a service they do not even provide. > > The whole point of the Internet is democracy and > non-interference. If the federal government is permitted to > tamper with our liberties by adding a surcharge to e-mail, > who knows where it will end. 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 New York to Buffalo. If the U.S. Postal > Service is allowed to tinker with e-mail, it will mark the end > of the " free " Internet in the United States. One congressman, > Tony Schnell ® has even suggested a " twenty to forty dollar > per month surcharge on alI Internet service " above and beyond > the government's 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). > Don't sit by and watch your freedom erode away! > > Send this e-mail to all Americans on your list and tell your > friends and relatives to write to their congressman and > say " No! " to Bill 602P. > > Kate > Assistant to Stepp, Berger, Stepp and Gorman > Attorneys at Law > 216 Concorde Street, Vienna, Va. > > URGENT!!!! Pass this along to all your e-mail buddies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.