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`Do-not-spam' list approved 392-5 by US Congress

The US House of Representa-tives joined the Senate in voting to crack down on unsolicited e-mail by approving fines and prison terms for sending unwanted "spam" that peddles pornography, virility pills or cheap loans.

The House by a vote of 392-5 passed legislation early today that would authorize the Federal Trade Commission to set up a "do-not-spam" registry similar to the "do-not-call" list the agency launched this year to enable consumers to block unwanted calls from telemarketers.

If enacted by Congress, the bill would be the first nationwide effort to curb the billions of pieces of "spam" sent each day to computer users' e-mail accounts. The Senate, which passed similar legislation on a 97-0 vote last month, must approve the House's changes.

Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp, the world's largest software maker, said the bill's passage is a major step toward preserving e-mail as a powerful communication tool.

"It will help consumers regain control of their inboxes," he said in a statement. "Spam is much more than an annoyance. It costs businesses millions of dollars a year."

Spam "cripples computer networks and makes e-mail checking an endless hassle," said Representative Billy Tauzin, a Louisiana Republican. The bill will give "millions of Americans the ability to block unwanted and unsolicited commercial e-mail."

Ken Johnson, Tauzin's spokesman, said sponsors of the Senate bill have accepted several changes, which include increased monetary penalties for sending unwanted spam. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who co-sponsored the Senate bill, welcomes the changes made by the House, said his spokeswoman Carol Guthrie.

"The steps the House has taken will make this a stronger bill," she said.

Rebecca Hanks, a spokeswoman for John McCain, an Arizona Republican who co-sponsored the Senate bill, called the House vote "a good first step." The House bill would impose a US$200 penalty for each piece of unwanted spam up to US$2 million. The bill authorizes the trebling of those penalties up to US$6 million. The House bill doubles the financial penalties adopted by the Senate. Both measures impose a five-year prison term for transmitting e-mail that disguises the sender's identity.

The bill would enable cell phone users to block spam text messages.

"The massive growth of unsolicited e-mail or spam now threatens to kill or cripple the utility of this popular media," said Representative James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican.

Spam accounts for almost half of all e-mail traffic and "threatens to turn the information superhighway into a nightmare for info-commuters and parents," he said.
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