Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 To the Commissioners, Along with other resonsible business people, I applaud your efforts to curb the problem of unsolicited bulk email. However, I am concerned about the proposed requirement for merchants to maintain suppression lists. There are so many problems and costs associated with this idea, and so much damage done to consumers and businesses alike, that I feel I must urge you to consider this matter most carefully. Requirement of the use of suppression lists will seriously damage many of the legitimate publications available on the net. My specific concern is for harm to publishers who require permission from the consumer prior to adding them to any list. We who are scrupulous about getting permission to email are not who CAN-SPAM was designed to put out of business, but this requirement will very likely have that effect. There's also the potential for significant harm to consumers, because of the problem of properly knowing their intent when they unsubscribe from a list. On top of that, these suppression lists could easily fall into the hands of spammers, leading to more spam instead of less. My websites and newsletters use legitimate affiliate links to provide useful information to my customers and prospects, who have requested my information. They must actively follow a link to see the information. A suppression list requirement presents myriad potential problems, and I urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider its implementation in light of these problems. It would in fact be nearly impossible to implement. I cannot imagine how I would know if a recipient of my newsletter had opted out of any affiliate's list. But not to provide the information would be doing my readers a disservice. Respectfully, Judy Kowatch Orlando,FL USA