Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 To the Commissioners, 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. The sole function of my web property's newsletter is to inform other webmasters of my honest opinion of other website's programs. They request and exepct me to fulfill the contract I made with them. This legistation would open the door for multiple lawsuite, both from the people who I have promised my information to, as well as the people who I have promised to write about. As a woman of my word, even thinking about violating my agreements with all the parties I serve, concerns me. Currently, the information they receive from me is free for them to get, and free for me to send. With the passing of this legislation, I would then be forced to send all correspondence through the mail on CD, costing my company, which just made its first signficiant profit, thousands of dollars. In short, it would completely shut me down, and would actually ADVANCE the efforts of people who send SPAM. If you're trying to prevent SPAM, then give the owners of legitimate email practices, commercial or non-commercial, a Lot more leeway on what they can or can not send, how they can send it, and whether they can utilize word of mouth. 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. They're 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. I was quite surprised 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, Again, I say, If you are truly trying to prevent SPAM, then give the owners of legitimate email practices, commercial or non-commercial, a Lot more leeway on what they can or can not send, how they can send it, and whether they can utilize word of mouth. Please don't threaten the livelihood of millions of small business owners whose businesses reduce the cost of government online. Respectfully, Tinu Abayomi-Paul Clark County, Nevada