| 11.22.03 House Passes
Historic Anti-Spam Bill
On November 22, the United States House of Representatives passed
an historic agreement S. 877, the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, by a vote
of 392-5. This bipartisan legislation will allow millions of Americans
the ability to block unwanted and unsolicited commercial email.
Specifically, the anti-SPAM agreement:
- Provides the FTC with the authority to
set up a “Do-Not-SPAM” registry based on Chairman
W.J. “Billy” Tauzin’s work on the “Do-Not-Call”
registry for unwanted and unsolicited telemarketing calls.
- Empowers American consumers to opt-out
of all unwanted and unsolicited commercial e-mail or SPAM.
- Makes it a crime, subject to five years
prison, to send fraudulent SPAM.
- Grants the strongest available protection
for parents and consumers to say “no” to receipt of
pornographic SPAM.
- Allows the FTC and state attorneys general
the ability to vigorously enforce the laws contained the anti-spam
legislation.
- Enforces statutory damages for $2 million
for violations, tripled to $6 million for intentional violations,
and unlimited damages for fraud and abuse.
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