It is virtually impossible to monitor e-mail. Remember big business
and gov't use it the most. It will not be "taxed" in the foreseeable
future. Check out Urban Legends on-line. Here's a sample:
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: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 10:03 PM
Looks like Congress has found another way to tax us.
There is a new bill in US Congress that will be affecting all
Internet
users. You might want to read this and pass it on. CNN
stated that the government would in two weeks time decide to allow
or
not allow a charge to your (OUR) phone bill each time you access the
internet.
Please visit the following URL and fill out the necessary form!
The address is http://www.house.gov/writerep/
If EACH one of us, forward this message on to others in a hurry, we
may
be able to prevent this from happening! (Maybe we CAN fight the
phone
company!)
*********************************
This alert is a hoax. The earliest electronic version of it, which
does not urge any particular action but merely reports and comments
on the story, appeared on Usenet on Nov 06, 1998. Appearing under the
thread "INTERNET PER MINUTE FEES COMING?" on the ba.internet news
group, it cited a CNN story aired that same day. A later version,
urging everyone to contact Congress, appeared on Nov 18, 1998 in a
different news group and referenced an FCC release dated Oct 30, 1998
as the source of the CNN story. The actual FCC proceeding which
apparently set off this mushrooming flurry of alerts dealt with
the 'reciprocal billing' issue, which relates to charges for
interconnectivity between various telcos.
In reaction to it, the FCC issued an official statement of December,
1998, which can be found at
.
This publication restates that the reciprocal billing issue does not
include any proposal to have metered billing of any sort by the
telcos for internet usage.
Reputable organizations producing legislative alerts will include
some basic information which will assist the reader in determining
how and when to respond. Most if not all of this information was
missing from this spurious alert.
1) Congress does not vote as a single body. Any alert should name the
specific body (House or Senate) scheduled to vote to whom
letters/email should be sent. It will also indicate whether this is
in front of a committee, and which committee, or that it is set for a
floor vote.
2) At a minimum, a specific bill number will be cited such as S.1615
or H.R.3888. The reader can then check the Congressional bill status
web site to determine the precise current
status of the bill before writing to your member of Congress about
it.
3) A specific alert date, and a deadline date for responses, will be
included to help in determining whether the alert is stale.
4) A legitimate alert will say exactly what is wrong with (or right
with) the bill, possibly even citing a specific section. Check the
language of the bill on Thomas to ensure that amendments to the bill
in between the time the alert went out and the time that you're
reading it haven't changed it to the point where the alert is no
longer relevant.
It should also be noted that this alert began making its rounds after
the 105th Congress had adjourned. Although the House of
Representatives came back into a lame duck (post election) session to
consider the issue of impeachment of the president, no other issues
were considered. And the Senate did not reconvene at all. The 106th
Congress was officially convened in early January, 1999. At the time
the new Congress is seated at the beginning of every odd numbered
year, all bills not enacted into law by the end of the previous
Congress are swept away. The new Congress starts over with a clean
slate, introducing entirely new bills which must make their way
through the entire legislative process. A legislative alert from 1998
is null and void in January, 1999, whether it was spurious at the
time or not.
Charles Oriez
coriez@netone.com
National Legislative Chair
Association of Information Technology Professionals
-- Anne (HT@HM.com), August 12, 2000.