Not being a U.S. citizen, I may be wrong, but.. I've heard the same thing (aprox every couple years) in Canada.. Something like it started about 2 decades ago when the telco's were "supposedly" considering charging BBS's an extra fee for using their line for a BBS. As always a thread of outrage started on every BBS. These rumours range from taxing email, to taxing the time you use on the internet.. I for one, think that taxing email would be logistically impossible. Its pretty simple for someone to just create an alternate protocol, path or tunnel around the law. The costs of implementing a structure to account for specific types of data would most likely exceed any revenue gained for the first decade, and put many ISP's out of business that didnt have the technical expertise to institute the changes. Im sure if there is any truth to it, it was most likely some computer newbie congressman who just bought his plug-and-play desktop PC, installed generic ISP software, or AOL and figured out that this email thing is "kinda cool" and a 5cent tax would be a revenue waterfall, while placing his fresh cup of coffee on the convenient built in coffee-cup holder. (is that a run on sentence?:) A few years ago, we sent a techie from the ISP I worked with, to debate this MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) on the radio. The MLA was suggesting filtering all pornography on the internet. Again, something that only someone who knows nothing about the infrastructure and subsequent backlash would think of. Imagine eliminating porn on the internet? There goes what is most likely the bulk of ecommerce. Long live Fido-Net. (is it still around?) Leslie Bester Chief Technical Officer Gallmark Corporation 500-280 Smith St. Winnipeg, MB. R3C 1K2 Contact Specifications: 204-944-1119 (voice office) 204-949-0768 (fax office) 204-933-5164 (pager) 204-229-1082 (cellular) les@gallmark.mb.ca (email) pager@gallmark.mb.ca (email pager) -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 dpu(--) s: a- C+++(++++) UL++(++++) P++(+++>) L+++(++++>) E- w++ O M- V PS+ PE Y-- PGP- t@ 5@ X+(++) R(-) tv- b+(++) DI+++ D+ G e h(*) r y+ z ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------ -----Original Message----- From: William K. Borsum To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU Date: Thursday, September 23, 1999 1:42 PM Subject: Email charges by the USPS? >Hi All >Got an email today alleging that the US Government is working on >legislation to impose fees on all email to make up for lost postal >revenue--some $.05 per piece of mail. (Bill 602P) Normal piclist traffic >would end up costing me $200 a month if this is true--and probably kill the >piclist and all others in the process. > >"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." > >Anyone know anything about this? > >I recall seeing something like this every year or so--most are very large >storms in a very small teapot--but it would be nice to know if anyone has >any direct knowledge of truth of fiction on this subject. > >Kelly >ps: if true will get a letter to all US >congress people--or so I am told. > > > >William K. Borsum, P.E. -- OEM Dataloggers and Instrumentation Systems > & San Diego, California, USA