House Bill 602p - $.05 for each email RECEIVED
 
Apparently, someone named Tony Schnell, listed as a Republican, is reported to have introduced a bill that would charge $.05 per email (including spam).  I wanted to give Mr Schnell my two cents and ask him how he planned to deal with spam, and ask him if he had thought of putting the onus on those who SEND the email, and not those who receive it.  No state was listed, so I checked the House of Representatives website, and looked him up.  There is no Tony Schnell currently serving in the House.
 
So, I looked up 602p in the docket list, and came up with the following: "...This rumor is absolutely false.  No such legislation exists.  In fact, no "Congressman Tony Schnell" exists..."  Apparently, the email I got was started in an effort to have some fun, and see if the email would come back to the person who sent it.  Often times, folks with multiple emails will send out a charged email with a comment to forward it to everyone you know... sometimes, its an attempt by spammers to collect valid email addresses... sometimes, its a lame effort to make some money.
 
You can read the full house statement on the bill by following the link below (you'll notice the URL: house.gov - the official website of the House of Representatives.
 
http://www.house.gov/oxley/s9910a.htm
 
Additionally, I checked the USPS website, and they make no mention in their 5-year plan of attempting to charge for email, either.  This plan is submitted for review to Congress, and cannot be grossly deviated from without their consent.
 
So, rest assured, our email will be as free as our ISP makes it - at least for now!