Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 To the Commissioners, I appreciate the efforts to stop 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 should urge you to consider this matter 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. CAN-SPAM was never designed to put quality publishers out of business, but this requirement will very likely have this 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, suppression lists could easily fall into the hands of spammers, leading to more spam instead of less. I am quite concerned at the potential problems this ruling could involve, and urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider its implementation in light of these problems, Respectfully yours, John Alexander Ontario, Canada