>Because action proposed to the FCC by local phone companies could limit
>the emergent free flow of ideas and political action on the internet and
>certainly would make access inequities sharper, I'd like to urge
>everyone to consider writing the FCC against it. See below:
>
>>>Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 19:19:53 -0500 (EST)
>>>From: Mike Moore <mikem who-is-at BGNet.bgsu.edu>
>>>Hello:
>>> This is to inform you of a very important matter currently
>under
>>>review by the FCC. Your local telephone company has filed a proposal
>with the
>>>FCC to impose per minute charges for your internet service. They
>contend that
>>>your usage has or will hinder the operation of the telephone network.
>>> E-Mail, in my opinion, will diminish if users were required to
>pay
>>>additional per minute charges. The FCC has created an email box for
>your
>>>comments, responses must be received by February 13, 1998. Send your
>comments
>>>to "isp who-is-at fcc.gov" and tell them what you think.
>>> Every phone company is in on this one, and they are trying to
>sneak it
>>>in just under the wire for litigation. Let everyone you know hear
>about this
>>>one. Get this e-mail address to everyone you can think of.
>>>
>>> FCC E-Mail address isp who-is-at fcc.gov
>>>
>>> This is really important to e-mail users. Especially those who
>do not
>>>have access through their work. If we have to pay for e-mail , the
>cost is
>>>going to skyrocket. It's about the only thing now that is
>cost-effective.
>>>Please make your opinions known to the FCC.
>>> Tell your friends, tell everyone who uses E-Mail.
>>>
>
>In case it helps, here's what I wrote:
>
>To the FCC:
>
>I understand that phone companies are requesting government action that
>would allow them to impose per-minute fees on users of internet
>service. I am strongly against this, as it unfairly penalizes Americans
>who use one particular medium of communication as against other media.
>There is no fair reason for the use of written communication to carry a
>financial penalty over the use of spoken communication. Line use is
>already paid for by consumers, and this attempt to extract more money
>from those who use phone lines for dual purposes is unjustifiable.
>
>I urge you to reject these requests.
>
>Randy Bomer, Ph.D.
>Professor of Education
>Queens College, CUNY
>Flushing, NY 11375
>W: (718) 997-5153
>H: (718) 263-7537
>
>
>
---------------------------
JAY L. LEMKE
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
---------------------------