LIST: With all due respect for Paul's concern over this issue, the (following) topic has been popping up for YEARS on computer bulletin boards, etc. etc. and has NEVER thus far been found to be a valid problem. It is periodically resurrected by pranksters who have found it a "hot button" item that will insure that us well-meaning types will spread it hither and yon with righteous indignation. It has always turned out to be fraudulent in the past, and I'll venture that this one is as well. I too was concerned the first time I saw it, but checked into it (indirectly) with the FCC and found that there was no such proposal on their table nor had there ever been. The version that I saw indicated that all modem users would be forced to pay some kind of extra fee for using the telephone lines for data communication as opposed to voice. Now, how would they have enforced it, for one thing? For another thing, those of us who have installed an extra telephone line and burned up the long distance wires in our quest for more and more information via modem have probably done more to enrich the phone companies than they would ever get in trying to enact some unenforceable variety of legislation. Perhaps, before bombarding the FCC and all associated legislative representatives with strident objections to this supposed charge for internet access, we should see if there really is a problem. As I said, this has been coming up for probably 8 years or more in different guises, and if it's bogus (which I think it probably is) we will only be irritating the recipients of our misplaced outrage if we respond to it. Will quote follows:
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