Extracted from the Honorable Chet Edwards page:
http://www.house.gov/edwards/pr990723webchrg.html.
The other rumor concerns non-existent legislation that claims a
?Congressman Schnell? has recently introduced ?Bill 602P.? Supposedly,
this bogus bill would allow the federal government to impose a 5-cent
surcharge on all e-mail messages. The surcharge would be collected
by the United States Postal Service (USPS).
This rumor is FALSE. There is no Congressman Schnell and there is no
Bill 602P. The USPS has also stated they would not contemplate
having the legislation introduced, nor would they support it if it was
proposed.
Doug McGarrett wrote:
>
> Folks outside the US and possessions can stop reading now.
>
> I hope this is not really off-topic, because we
> are using the facilities mentioned to communicate
> with this mail list!
>
> I also hope we haven't been hoaxed, but it sounds
> like the kind of thing you could expect.
>
> I was forwarded the following email:
>
> >> >Contact you Congressional representatives!
> >> >TOLL CHARGE FOR EMAIL. 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. Complain
> >> >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 email 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 email 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 email, 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 email, it will mark the end of
> >> >the "free" Internet in the United States.
> >> >
> >> >One congressman, Tony Schnell(r) 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 most of
> >> >the major newspapers have ignored the story, the only exception
> >> >being the Washingtonian which called the idea of email surcharge "a
> >> >useful concept who's 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 TODAY, 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.
> >> >
> >> >PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO USES EMAIL
> >> >REMEMBER THESE ARE TWO SEPARATE ISSUES THAT EFFECT
> >> >ALL OF US ONLINE LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD NOW, NOT AFTER.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >Gertrude A. Gibson
> >> >Secretary
> >> >GSIA, Posner Hall 255
> >> >Carnegie Mellon University
> >> >Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
> >> >Office: (412) 268-1337
>
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