On Thu, 23 Sep 1999 12:23:23 -0700 "William K. Borsum"
<borsum@DASCOR.COM> writes:
>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?
>

        Here's what I wrote about the subject back in June...

Harold


Harold Hallikainen
harold@hallikainen.com
Hallikainen & Friends, Inc.
See the FCC Rules at http://hallikainen.com/FccRules and comments filed
in LPFM proceeding at http://hallikainen.com/lpfm


 No truth to the info.  A good clue is the "bill number."  That is not
how bills are numbered in the house or the senate (they are H.R. 9999 or
S. 9999).  There is no member of Congress named Schnell (see
http://clerkweb.house.gov/106/mbrcmtee/members/mbrsalph/oalmfram.htm).
        The Washingtonian (quoted in the email) states the following on
their web site (at http://www.washingtonian.com/about/emailhoax.html )

The message that is apparently out over the Internet
            about an "editorial" by The Washingtonian
            supporting an e-mail tax is a hoax.

            We never wrote such an article or editorial. We do
            not have a "March 6" issue. The congressman
            quoted does not exist; the bill number does not
            exist; the law firm which supposedly wrote this
            e-mail does not exist; the address given for the law
            firm does not exist; and an almost identical e-mail
            was started a month beforehand claiming that the
            Canadian government was going to impose an e-mail
            tax.

            We at The Washingtonian do not know who put
            this hoax out, but it is not true.

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