Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 To the Commissioners, I applaud your efforts to curb the problem of spam a.k.a. unsolicited bulk email. However, I am concerned about the proposed requirement for merchants to maintain suppression lists. This will be a nightmare! There are so many problems and costs associated with this idea, and so much damage done to consumers and businesses alike, that I feel I must urge you to reconsider this matter most carefully. Requirement of the use of suppression lists will seriously damage many of the legitimate publications available on the net. My specific concern is for harm to publishers who require permission from the consumer prior to adding them to any list. Legitimate email marketers always use an opt-in mechanism to manage their lists, with an opt-out link to unsubscribe in every email. They're not who CAN-SPAM was designed to put out of business, but this requirement will very likely have that effect. The big-time spammers didn't follow the rules before CAN-SPAM, and they still don't after CAN-SPAM. There's also the potential for significant harm to consumers, because of the problem of properly knowing their intent when they unsubscribe from a list. On top of that, these suppression lists could easily fall into the hands of spammers, leading to more spam instead of less. I was quite surprised at the potential problems this ruling could involve, and urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider its implementation in light of these problems, Respectfully, John Bradshaw Kentucky, USA