Re: email charge hoax?

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From:LuAnn Anderson <ander093@gold.tc.umn.edu>
To:gentras@vetmed.auburn.edu
Reply-To:
Content-Type:text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Responding to the message of <l03020923b4e2cd094b08@[131.204.131.112]>
from Atoska Gentry <gentras@vetmed.auburn.edu>:


The website address is:  http://ciac.llnl.gov/


Internet Access Charges

January 1999 

This is a variant of the historic modem tax hoax of bygone years. This
latest version started making its rounds on Nov 06,
1998, based apparently on a CNN story. Early versions pointed the finger
at the FCC as the villian in this story. Then it was
'the government', then it was 'the Congress'. 

FCC statement:
"... the FCC has no intention of assessing per-minute charges on
Internet traffic or of making any changes in the way consumers obtain
and pay for access to the Internet." 






> 
> >Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 22:12:00 -0600
> >Sender: Damarius Antwann Studdard <studd001@bama.ua.edu>
> >From: Damarius Antwann Studdard <studd001@bama.ua.edu>
> >To: "D'Shundra McCray" <d_mccray@hotmail.com>,
> >        "Jr. Desouza" <juniordesouza@hotmail.com>,
> >        "JSD7511@aol.com" <JSD7511@aol.com>,
> >        Angela Waldon <WALDOAN@groupwise1.duc.auburn.edu>,
> >        Atoska Gentry <gentras@vetmed.auburn.edu>,
> >        Bk Lowe <lowe002@bama.ua.edu>, Bri Chestane <chest001@bama.ua.edu>,
> >        Christina Lowe <lowe003@bama.ua.edu>,
> >        Damarius Studdard <Studdd1@collegeclub.com>,
> >        Demetrius Heard <Demetrius37@hotmail.com>,
> >        dotch001 <dotch001@bama.ua.edu>, ED <J-R12@hotmail.com>,
> >        Felica <audiva@collegeclub.com>,
> >        Galvin Billups <galvinbillups@hotmail.com>,
> >        Gordie <sixfoursolider@hotmail.com>,
> >        Jeanette Mccray <nette2459@hotmail.com>,
> >        Jennifer Butler <butle005@bama.ua.edu>,
> >        Joaunka Goldsmith <Joaunka.Goldsmith@mail.ua.edu>,
> >        KEISHA STEWART <quietstorm_31@hotmail.com>,
> >        Kevena Samuel <samkn@hotmail.com>,
> >        Knowledge Harvin <cru_love@hotmail.com>,
> >        Lakeisha King <king002@bama.ua.edu>,
> >        LeVictor Broadnax <rotdbd@hotmail.com>, Marty 
> > <marty0028@bama.ua.edu>,
> >        MIRANDA CANNON <pecan36830@yahoo.com>,
> >        Ron Tolliver <RonLove3@collegeclub.com>,
> >        Stacey Campbell <spider-bytes@hotmail.com>,
> >        STACY CAMBELL <spider-bytes@hotmail.com>, studd001@bama.ua.edu,
> >        Tennille Lowe <lowe001@bama.ua.edu>,
> >        Tiffany Bowen <tbowen1@boc.cba.ua.edu>,
> >        Tonya Benjamin <benja001@bama.ua.edu>
> >X-EXP32-SerialNo: 00002122
> >Subject:
> >Mime-Version: 1.0
> >
> ><< ok people. Heres your chance to do something about this . Please let
> >        your
> >        representative know. George C
> >
> >
> >        > NO MORE FREE E-MAIL.....
> >        > 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
> >willreceive 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 isworking 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 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 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, 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!!!!!!
> >        >
> >        >>
> >
> 
> Atoska S. Gentry B.S., HT(ASCP)
> Research Assistant
> Scott-Rtichey Research Center
> College of Veterinary Medicine
> Auburn University, AL  36849
> PH (334) 844-5579
> FAX (334) 844-5850
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .






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