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| Wilson’s Junk E-Mail Bill Passed Overwhelmingly by Telecommunication Subcommittee |
March 21, 2001 |
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Washington, DC- Congresswoman Heather Wilson’s Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail Act of 2001 (HR 718) was passed overwhelmingly by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet earlier today.
The Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail Act of 2001 will give consumers the power to block unwanted e-mail from entering their homes. The bill will also give Internet Service Providers who bear the costs of having to deliver unwanted messages a legal right of action to block those who dump unwanted messages into their networks.
According to a recent study released by the European Union`s executive arm, the European Commission, unsolicited commercial e-mail costs Internet subscribers worldwide $9.4 billion in connection costs every year.
“The Internet is changing our lives -- largely for the better. But as consumers, we should have the power to stop getting junk e-mail on our computers or on the computers of our children,” said Wilson. “Some estimates are that over one third of junk e-mail is pornographic and currently parents are helpless to stop this from entering their homes. This bill will give parents and consumers the power to say enough is enough and close their inbox to annoying and obscene junk e-mail.”
Because the Internet provides a low cost method of advertising, many advertisers tap this technology to send millions of unwanted messages to consumers through their e-mail accounts. Sending one e-mail costs the same as sending one million. Consequently advertisers can send as many e-mails as they can to reach as many potential customers as possible.
“Millions of unsolicited commercial e-mails, which contain advertisements for legitimate products as well as pornography, dubious products, or get-rich-quick schemes, clog up individuals’ computer systems and the entire information superhighway. The problem with spam is that the receiver pays for e-mail advertisements. Junk e-mail is like “postage due” marketing or telemarketers calling collect,” Wilson said.
Specifically, the Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail Act would:
* Require accurate return addresses on unsolicited commercial email and a physical business address for the sender;
* Make it illegal to continue sending junk email to someone after they have asked to be removed from a distribution list;
* Require unsolicited commercial e-mail to be labeled;
* Require ISPs to let their customers opt out of getting junk e-mail if the ISP profits from allowing it into their system;
* Set a penalty for continuing to send junk e-mail after someone has asked for it to stop;
* Allow ISPs to have a junk e-mail policy and sue spammers for $500 per message if they violate the policy;
* Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to go after junk e-mailers who violate this law;
* Creates a misdemeanor offense in criminal law for intentionally using fraudulent return addresses or routing information, including any domain name, header information, date or time stamp, originating electronic mail address, or other information identifying the initiator or the routing of such message, that is contained in or accompanies such message;
* Allows individuals to sue to block junk e-mail.
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