>VOTE NO ON Bill 602P!!!! >I 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 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 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 efficiency. 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 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" - Mar 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! > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).