[98] in peace2
Re: proposed e-mail and internet fees
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alexander Stine)
Fri Feb 25 15:43:37 2000
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 15:42:37 -0500 (EST)
From: Alexander Stine <zan@ocean.mit.edu>
To: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@photonics.mit.edu>
Cc: 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
In-Reply-To: <200002252005.PAA0000010486@photonics.mit.edu>
Message-Id: <Pine.GSO.3.95q.1000225153139.12459C-100000@ocean>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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this is a hoax. There is no congressman Schnell.
My guess is that this is being spread by a don;t tax the internet group to
show congress people will pounce on them if they get out of line.
zan
On Fri, 25 Feb 2000, Aimee L Smith wrote:
> 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.
> >>>>
> >>>
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> ------------- End Forwarded Message -------------
>
>
