Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 April 19, 2004 To the Commissioners, I applaud your efforts to curb the problem of unsolicited bulk email. However, I am concerned about the proposed requirement for merchants to maintain suppression lists. Just to give you some background on myself. I am an entrepreneur who for the past 3 years has had to struggle with redefining my way of making a living. I use to do computer contracting for a living but with the influx of H1-Visas and the dropping of computer rates it literally made it impossible to make a living. So as an entrepreneur I have looked into internet marketing as my niche for making a real living. I don’t look for the government for a hand out. I did not qualify for unemployment compensation for the past 3 years (that’s right 3 years) because I am an independent 1099 working through my own company. I see the new CAN-SPAM Act as losing focus on what the real goal here is eliminating unwanted emails from user’s mailboxes. 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 consider this matter most carefully. I believe the 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. I don’t believe that legitimate publications is who CAN-SPAM is targeting to put out of business – but I believe this may very well occur due to the excessive burdens placed on the legitimate internet marketer which are extremely cost prohibitive and time intensive. 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. Lastly, the area of affiliate programs I believe could effectively be eliminated due to the legalizes of the CAN-SPAM Act. Companies which utilize a sales force (internet marketing affiliates – who operate as independent sales reps) could see a significant drop in revenue and a ton of jobs (ways to make a living from home) could be eliminated. So, I urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider its implementation in light of these problems, Respectfully, Christopher H. Johnson, CEO/President of Digital P.A.W.S. Inc. Roswell, GA USA http://www.internet-marketing-tools-4u.com p.s. The questionaire on this site makes the issue so confusing that I think the law makers missed the gist of what was originally trying to be achieved. Eliminating unwanted email. The law as it stands is WAY TO COMPLICATED IF YOU FOLLOW THE LINES OF QUESTIONING ABOVE. WHO COULD POSSIBLY COMPLY AND STILL DO BUSINESS ??? YOU'D NEED A PH.D JUST TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WHAT. SIMPLY THIS LAW AND K.I.S.S.