MARKETERS BARELY GOT a chance to breathe a sigh of relief over the death of a do-not-e-mail bill in Illinois when two more fronts opened up in the battle to keep commercial e-mail free for legal adult-oriented content.
At deadline, it looked as if a Georgia bill would easily pass through the state Senate. Meanwhile, two Iowa lawmakers introduced an e-mail registry measure in that state’s House and Senate modeled after the one in place in Michigan.
The proposals would enable parents and guardians to register minors’ e-mail addresses and other contact points as off limits to messages containing content or links for products illegal for minors to view or buy.
Jointly dubbed The Iowa Kids No E-Contact Act, the bills would require marketers who want to include adult-oriented content in their outbound e-mail to scrub their lists against Iowa’s registry once a month, starting in July 2007. The cost would be up to $3 per thousand addresses checked.
Utah charges $5 per thousand addresses screened, Michigan $7. Georgia legislators are considering a child-protection registry bill that would cost e-mailers as much as $10 per thousand addresses checked. That measure also would allow e-mailbox providers, individuals and the state attorneys general to sue for legal fees plus $5,000 per message, up to $250,000 each day the violations occur. Marketers contend that allowing consumers to sue would invite nuisance litigation.
Steve Warnstadt introduced the Iowa Kids No E-Contact Act in the state’s Senate and Janet Petersen did so in the House. Both are Democrats.
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