[97] in peace2
proposed e-mail and internet fees
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Aimee L Smith)
Fri Feb 25 15:04:37 2000
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 15:05:27 -0500 (EST)
From: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@photonics.mit.edu>
Message-Id: <200002252005.PAA0000010486@photonics.mit.edu>
To: peace-list@MIT.EDU, paulyh@MIT.EDU, plaroche@MIT.EDU, sanjayb@MIT.EDU,
jks@noleak.mit.edu, gdennis@MIT.EDU, moridin@MIT.EDU, wwww@MIT.EDU,
liamb@MIT.EDU, shawking@MIT.EDU, alsmith@MIT.EDU, anton@lanai.mit.edu,
auyeung@MIT.EDU, elrond@MIT.EDU, melaniew@MIT.EDU, msyates@MIT.EDU,
dickj@MIT.EDU
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Hi Everyone,
I know this is an incremental change issue, but think about
the implications for REDUCING internet access for folks not at
universities or with bags-full o' cash lying around. This will not
be good for grass-roots organizing...
Regards,
Aimee
>> -----Original Message-----
>>Date: Saturday, February 12, 2000 2:36 PM
>>Subject: Internet Tariff!
>>
>>>
>>>> For all of
>>us internet users, something that may very well be worth your
>>>>
>> attention:
>>>> CNN has reported that within the next two
>>weeks Congress is going to
>>>>vote on allowing telephone companies
>>to CHARGE A TOLL FEE for Internet
>>>>access.
>>>>
>> Translation:
>>>> Every time we send a long distance e-mail
>>we will receive a long
>>>>distance charge. This will get costly.
>>Please visit the following web
>>>>site
>>>>and
>>>>file
>> a complaint to your Congressperson. We can't allow this to pass!
>>
>>>>The
>>>> following address will allow you to send an
>>e-mail on this subject
>>>> DIRECTLY to your Congressperson.
>> <<http://www.house.gov/writerep
>> Pass
>>>>this on to your friends. It is urgent! I hope all of
>>you will pass this on
>>>>to all your friends and
>>>>
>> family. We should ALL have an interest in this
>>one.
>>>>
>>>> WAIT, THERE'S MORE! IN ADDITION, 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 email users out of "alternate postage fees".
>> Bill 602P will permit
>>>> the Federal Govt. to charge a 5
>>cent surcharge on every email delivered,
>>>> by billing Internet
>>Service Providers at source. The consumer would then
>>>> be billed
>>in turn by the ISP. Washington D.C. lawyer Richard 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 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 email per
>>>> day in
>>1998, the cost to the typical individual would be an additional
>>>>50
>> cents per day, or over $180 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
>>>>email, who knows where it
>>will end. If the U.S. Postal Service is
>>
>>>>allowed
>>>to
>>>> tinker with email,it will mark
>>the end of the "free" Internet in the
>>>> United States.
>> One congressman, Tony Schnell AE has even suggested a
>>>>
>> "twenty to forty dollar per month surcharge on all Internet
>>service"
>>>>above and beyond the government's proposed
>>email charges. Note that
>>>> Washingtonian which called the idea
>>of email surcharge "a useful concept
>>>> whose time has
>>come" (March 6th, 1999 Editorial).
>>>> Don't sit by and watch
>>your freedoms erode away!
>>>> Send this e-mail to EVERYONE on your
>>list, and tell all your friends and
>>>> relatives to write to
>>their Congressman 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 don't
>>want.
>>>>
>>>
>
>
>
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