Federal Committee Targets Spam

The House Commerce Committee Thursday approved an anti-spam bill.

H.R. 3113, the "Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2000," is designed to protect consumers and Internet Service Providers from the growing volumes of unsolicited commercial e-mail. The bill now heads to the full House for consideration.

If passed, the bill would allow ISPs and consumers to sue spammers for up to $150,000 per violation of a posted no-spam policy or for failing to comply with individual e-mail users requests to be omitted from future mailings.

Ian Oxman, president of ChooseYourMail.com and co-founder of the Spam Recycling Center said he was gratified by the committee's approval.

"With the proliferation of spam, millions of e-mail users are being forced to pay the cost of delivery for (adult) ads, Web scams and computer viruses," he stated.

"If passed into law, this bill will unify the patchwork of anti-spam laws being passed in the states giving marketers and consumers a clear understanding of what types of e-mail advertising are proper and acceptable.

"Additionally, it will give ISPs and consumers alike a fighting chance at protecting themselves, their children, and their computer systems from the dangers of spam," he said.