The House telecommunications subcommittee Wednesday overwhelmingly approved an amended version of the Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act (HR-718), which would increase government controls over unsolicited commercial e-mails.
The new version of the bill, introduced last month by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), would amend the Federal Communications Act of 1934. It would authorize state attorneys general instead of consumers to file civil class-action lawsuits against repeat senders of unsolicited commercial e-mails.
Consumers could still file individual lawsuits against violators, according to Wilson and Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), who authored the amendment.
Panel member Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA), criticized the measure as giving too much authority to state attorneys general and too little to consumers.
Another amendment would require Internet service providers to offer their customers with a way of blocking unsolicited commercial e-mails.
The bill now goes to the full Commerce Committee chaired by Rep. W. J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-LA), for consideration. It must be approved by the House Judiciary Committee led by Rep. John Sensenbrenner (R-WI), before it can be passed by the full House and sent to the Senate for action.
The bill would provide consumers with “the power to block unwanted e-mail from entering their homes,” Wilson said in a statement.
Green added in a statement that the bill’s intent is to stop the flooding of computers with unwanted advertisements, including those for online sex sites and get-rich-quick schemes.
The amended bill would prohibit senders of unsolicited commercial e-mails from hiding their true identities, addresses and telephone numbers. It would also authorize legal action against violators by the Federal Communications and Federal Trade Commissions.
Internet service providers would be required to develop and enforce these policies to protect their customers from receiving unsolicited commercial e-mails.
Meanwhile, a similar bill to tighten the government’s controls over unsolicited commercial e-mail or spam, but with stiffer criminal penalties than the first, was introduced in the House yesterday by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA).
Goodlatte’s Anti-Spamming Act of 2001 (HR-1017) would amend the Federal Criminal Code to prohibit the sending of unsolicited commercial e-mails and subject violators to a year in jail, a flat $15,000 fine, or a fine of up to $10 per message, whichever is greater.
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