ISP lawsuits will put Spam Act to the test, affordable internet service, low cost internet access

Lawsuits recently filed by four major U.S. Internet providers will test the Can Spam Act of 2003, said a Duke University Internet policy expert Monday.

"AOL, Earthlink, Microsoft, and Yahoo are about to find out how real, deep and effective this policy is," said Ken Rogerson, research director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Communications and Journalism, part of Duke's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.

The act, approved by Congress late last year and in effect since Jan. 1, imposes limitations and penalties on the transmission of unsolicited commercial electronic mail via the Internet.

"Before the act, ISPs had little to no recourse against spam," said Rogerson, who specializes in Internet policy issues. "Now, in response to innumerable complaints, it is time to pit the act against the First Amendment, the prevailing rationale for purveyors of spam."

Source: United Press International

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