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. 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. I have a suggestion that, if implemented, would dramatically reduce the sending of SPAM without this legislation. How would it work if the senders of all email messages were charged a small fee by the sender's ISP for the sending of each email message? All fees collected, or a portion thereof after deducting additional administrative costs, would be sent to the recipient as a credit toward the recipient ISP's monthly bill. Or, sent directly to the recipient as a cash payment via postal mail. Or, perhaps the funds collected could be used to support a worthy charity of the recipient's choice. Starting such a fee-based email system would almost instantly stop the sending of probably 90% of all SPAM that is an obvious abuse of the system... without putting any legislation in place. Respectfully, Art Link Marietta, GA USA