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. Many online businesses were started in the last 5-10 years and were part of the reason why the US economy was booming in the mid to late 90's. The suppression list requirement will cause devastating effects on the US economy as most online businesses will be forced to close. The remaining online businesses will have to alter their operations in such a dramatic fashion that they will no longer be able to produce and profit at the levels prior to the suppression list requirement, thereby damaging a possible US economic recovery. 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. As a result, the suppression lists could actually do more harm than good. 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. Respectfully, Joe Chengery III Cleveland, Ohio USA