Political Groups Fear Future of Pay-to-Send E-Mail Rules
Monday, March 27, 2006
By Melissa Drosjack

WASHINGTON — Liberal, conservative and political groups in between have joined forces in a rarely documented event, gathering in mass opposition against plans by Internet service providers to charge mass e-mailers to send out messages.

Grassroots organizations are fired up over America Online's and Yahoo's decisions to place a fee on groups that send e-mail to large numbers of users without first being sorted through junk mail filters. Opponents say the new fees will limit their ability to reach their members on legislation, candidates and other issues of importance to them.

"Our biggest concern is that it's going to hamper our ability to get information to our members so that they are able to contact their congressman or senator," said William Greene, president of RightMarch.com, a conservative grassroots group with an estimated one million members nationwide. Story