Direct from the USPS web site (www.usps.gov)
E-mail Rumor Completely Untrue
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 1999
Release No. 45
E-MAIL RUMOR COMPLETELY UNTRUE
WASHINGTON - A completely false rumor concerning the U.S. Postal Service is
being circulated on Internet e-mail. As a matter of fact, the Postal Service
has learned that a similar hoax occurred recently in Canada concerning
Canada Post.
The e-mail message claims that a "Congressman Schnell" has introduced "Bill
602P" to allow the federal government to impose a 5-cent surcharge on each
e-mail message delivered over the Internet. The money would be collected by
Internet Service Providers and then turned over to the Postal Service.
No such proposed legislation exists. In fact, no "Congressman Schnell"
exists.
The U.S. Postal Service has no authority to surcharge e-mail messages sent
over the Internet, nor would it support such legislation.
Complete Link
(http://new.usps.com/cgi-bin/uspsbv/scripts/content.jsp?D=13643&B=-10830)
Just as a sanity check, here's another link
(http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/pending/email.htm)
This has been floating around the internet since 1999.
I love urban legends.. Hobby of mine. (Beside my bad-ass Dak.)
--Nick
----- Original Message -----
From: "dakotaviper" <dakotaviper@yahoo.com>
To: <dakota-truck@buffnet.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 6:31 PM
Subject: Re: DML: If this bill gets passed....good bye DML.
> They can only do this for a federal agency. but not
> for a private company. the us postal service has been
> operating as a private company for years now. this
> will be hard to do.
>
> --- Paul Bullerman <hemikota@home.com> wrote:
> > ALSO: What implications would this have for AIM???
> >
> > Subject: New Bill
> >
> > 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 n every delivered E-mail.
> > Please read the
> > following
> > carefully if you intend to stay online 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-ail
> > 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
> > non-interference.
> > 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 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 governments
> > 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" (March 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
> > &nbs! p; 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!
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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