Web tax is fake, but outraged
e-mailers are very real to Congress
By Kay Bell • Bankrate.com

May 19, 2000 -- Online Americans have cast their
e-mail votes for the most unpopular member of Congress and the winner, in a landslide, is Tony Schnell.

What earned him this notorious title? His introduction of H.B. 602P, which would allow a surcharge on every e-mail a person sends. Such a move, Web users worry, would then open the way for the Federal Communications Commission to institute a per-minute fee on every user's Internet connection.

But there are a couple of problems.

Rep. Schnell doesn't exist. Neither does H.B. 602P.

Web access fuels misinformation
A great benefit of the Internet -- worldwide instant communication -- can turn into a colossal curse when misused by pranksters.

The Schnell bill hoax origins can be traced back to 1987, according to the Urban Legends Research Center. That year, the FCC briefly considered removing a tax break that large commercial computer networks enjoyed for using the national telephone network. If that were eliminated, the ensuing e-mails warned, then individual users would have to make up the difference through a federal modem tax.

Through the years, the alarm has evolved, but the main message -- stop the FCC tax -- has continued to arrive in e-mail boxes nationwide. With the expansion of the Web on Capitol Hill, anti-Internet-tax crusaders have bombarded Congressional e-mails in their fight to derail the fictitious bill.

Real Congressman with a real legislative reply
Rep. Fred Upton, a real live Congressman representing southwestern Michigan, is well aware of the heinous intentions of his imaginary colleague Schnell. Upton has heard -- and heard and heard -- the pleas from thousands of outraged Web users to kill the fake bill.

"The perception really does become the reality," says Upton. "The reality is that more people are communicating with us on this than on any other subject."

To ease the misplaced concerns -- and reduce the thousands of complaints he receives on the bogus bill -- Upton introduced H.R. 1291, the Internet Access Charge Prohibition Act.

The bill would specifically prohibit the FCC from imposing any time-based access charge on Internet users. The FCC reiterates that it has no such plans, but Upton says he -- and a large part of the Internet community -- just want to make sure it stays that way.

His House colleagues agreed, approving the measure on May 16.

Upton hopes this will finally end the hoax, which even invaded his personal life. "I've had friends say -- and my wife has asked -- 'Fred, is it true?'" he says. "I want to stop this thing in its tracks."

--Posted May 19, 2000