Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008To the Commissioners,Thank you for working to curb the problem ofunsolicited bulk email. It is a very difficult job.Unfortunately, I am very concerned about the proposed requirement for merchants to maintainsuppression lists. As a small publisher with a double opt-in list, I know that my readers have signed on to hear from me on a regular basis. My readers expect me to give them good information and links to other providers with whom I joint venture and do affiliate marketing. They see this as a huge benefit.Creating a subpression list, maintaining more than one list, or having to restrict my communications with my subscribers will severely hamper my ability to run a profitable business. How can I possibly check to see if any of my subscribers have asked to unsubscribe to someone else's list? Currently, I have about 1,400 names on my list and this would be unwieldy enough. What happens when I get to 10,000 or I joint venture with someone who has a list of 100,000 subscribers? There is no way I can possibly make sure that each and every subscriber on someone else's list is a legitimate double opt-in or single opt-in subscriber.Like other publishers and Internet marketing strategists that I know, I take great care to contact only the people who wish to hear from me. I also have systems and practices in place to protect the identities and email addresses of my subscribers and customers.There are so many problems and costs associated with creating suppression lists, and so much potential damage to consumers and businesses alike, that I feel I must urge you to consider this matter most carefully. Implementing this proposed rule would create undue burden on small businesses. Please reconsider.Companies like mine are not who CAN-SPAM was designed to put out of business, but this requirement will very likely have that effect. And it's likely that the real spammers who have programs to sequentially generate email addresses would continue to thrive and never get caught. Plus, it would be easy enough for a good hacker to get ahold of these suppression lists. Then what? The legitimate businesses will be out of business and the spammers will thrive!Please don't include this requirement in the new regulations!Yours truly,Lois Carter Fayhttp://www.marketingideashop.comMassanutten, Virginia 22840