You probably remember that silly urban legend that warns that the US Congress will very shortly be voting on Bill 602P [that] will permit the [US] Federal Govt to charge a 5 cent surcharge on every email delivered, by billing Internet Service Providers at source. The consumer would then be billed in turn by the ISP...
One congressman, Tony Schnell (R) apparently even suggested a "twenty to forty dollar per month surcharge on all Internet service" above and beyond the government's proposed email charges.
Fortunately, there is no Bill 602P, nor is there a Congressman Schnell. But that didn't stop hundreds of thousands of angered netizens from flooding their congressperson's inbox with "say no to 602P" emails.
Could this be the mysterious Congressman Schnell taking a well-deserved vacation after the Bill 602P fiasco? |
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Now for the surreal part. In response to of all of these angry emails, the US House Commerce Committee earlier this week approved H.R. 1291, the "Internet Access Charge Prohibition Act." The act precludes the FCC from imposing on providers of Internet access service any per-minute charges intended for universal service support.
That's right, folks. Because of an Internet hoax saying that the US Congress is considering imposing a 5 cent surcharge on every email, the US Congress is in now in the process of passing a law that PROHIBITS such a surcharge in the first place. Chalk up a victory, however unintended, for the hoaxsters.
Reprinted with permission from the Internet Tourbus, www.tourbus.com.
Get More/Do More
To read what our myth-busting friends at urbanmyths.com have to say about Bill 602P, see www.urbanmyths.com/email_internettax602p.html. And generally, when you think something is an urban legend, visit www.urbanmyths.com for verification.
And, if you are looking for something to pass the time, you can always follow HR 1291 on its path through the legislative process by periodically visiting thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:HR01291:@@@X.
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