fwd from slug-list at seaslug.org: [gcrick at main.org: Washington State ISP legislation]

[Kurt Cockrum]

Apologies if you see this more than once...
FYI:
 Message-ID: <19980119091017.48239 at celestial.com>
 Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 09:10:17 -0800
 From: Bill Campbell <bill at celestial.com>
 To: slug-list at seaslug.org
 Subject: [gcrick at main.org: Washington State ISP legislation]
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 Interesting things happening in Olympia!  Ray and I are scheduled to
 participate in the hearings on Unsolicted e-mail.

 Bill
 --
 INTERNET:   bill at Celestial.COM  Bill Campbell; Celestial Systems, Inc.
 UUCP:               camco!bill  PO Box 820; 2835 82nd Avenue S.E. S-100
 FAX:            (206) 232-9186  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820; (206) 236-1676
 URL: http://www.celestial.com/

 Bagdikian's Observation:
 	Trying to be a first-rate reporter on the average American
 	newspaper is like trying to play Bach's "St. Matthew Passion"
 	on a ukelele.

 --hlLboLdkugWU4S2B
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 [...junk deleted --kurt...]
 Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 23:24:15 -0600 (CST)
 Message-Id: <Pine.GSO.3.96.980118231518.8713A-100000 at main1.main.org>
 [...junk deleted --kurt...]
 From: Gene Crick <gcrick at main.org>
 To: Multiple recipients of list <tispa at swri.edu>
 Subject: Washington State ISP legislation
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 re:  ISP Legislative initiatives in other states.

 FYI - This from a colleague in Washington State. 

 gene



 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
 Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 19:25:37 -0800
 From: Gary Gardner--Executive Director <exec-director at waisp.org>
 Subject: WAISP Legislative Update 1/18/98

 Our legislative session just started... thought you might be
 interested in this.
[...and nobody's life, liberty or property are safe :) --kurt]

 Gary Gardner
 Executive Director
 Washington Association of Internet Service Providers
 Legislative Report
 Sunday January 18, 1998


 The first week of the 1998 session of the Washington Legislature was as
 face-paced as anyone can remember.  It is a short session -- 60 days which
 doubles the pace for everyone.  For the ISP industry there are several
 developments that will have an impact on the Internet and related
 telecommunications issues.

 Note, you can find copies of all bills and amendments mentioned in this
 report at the Washington Legislature's Web Page --
 http://www.leginfo.leg.wa.gov

 There are only two bills that were introduced and available for on-line
 review at this time.  The first is HB 2553 which extends the ban on the
 WUTC accepting a filing for a mandatory measured telephone service tariff.
 That ban was set to expire June 1 of this year, and in this legislation the
 ban is extended to June 1, 2001.  If the bill passes, the WUTC cannot even
 think about accepting a request for mandatory measured service until 2001.
 The WAISP supported this bill last year (it did not make it through the
 session), and will support the bill again this year.

 The second bill is HB 2425, which is the energy and telecommunications tax
 restructuring bill we have been working on all summer.  The bill DOES NOT
 include ISPs as telecommunications providers and thus spares us from having
 to tax our users as telephone companies tax their users -- for the time
 being.  We will watch this closely to keep ISPs from being included.

 Both of these bills are scheduled for hearings this week.

 As we mentioned last week the Washington Attorney General's office
 approached WAISP a few weeks ago about possible anti SPAM or Unsolicited
 Commercial E-Mail legislation. We worked closely with their office to draft
 a bill that seems to have grown legs and is now gaining a lot of popularity
 among legislators.  The bill has the formal support of the Attorney
 General's Office which carries a big stick at the legislature.  The bill
 was introduced on Friday but has not yet been assigned a number and is not
 available on line for review.  We will send out an e-mail as soon as it is
 up on the legislative web page.  Key points in the bill are:

 *	Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail is a violation of the state's
 consumer protection laws.

 *	ISPs can recover $1000 in or actual damages if greater in the event
 a system is harmed by sending UCE.  Individuals can recover $500 or actual
 damages.

 *	ISPs can stop UCE or "apparent" UCE without liability.

 *	ISPs and commercial entities can send unsolicited commercial e-mail
 if the recipient has a prior business relationship with the sender.  The
 sender can request that such messages not be sent.

 There will most likely be a hearing on the bill in the House on 1/28 and
 the Senate on 1/29.  We will send you out a "checklist" of things you can
 do to help pass this bill, such as posting a notice on your web page and
 who your customers can contact to support the bill, early next week.  This
 bill will be a high priority of the WAISP.

 The WUTC made a presentation to the legislature on the "Universal Service
 Fund".  This fund is set up to provide for subsidized telecom service for
 low-income and rural residents, and to facilitate building of expensive
 infrastructure in rural areas.  There has been debate about whether or not
 ISPs should be included in the fund, and if ISPs should be able to draw
 from the fund to build infrastructure.  The WUTC has concluded that they
 will follow the FCC's guidelines and that ISPs are not to be included in
 the fund.  Legislation to implement this decision should follow shortly.

 There are a lot of ideas floating about concerning telecommunications
 regulation, particularly deregulating high-end services such as DSL.  We
 have been involved in discussions with USWest on these proposals -- and our
 concern remains that if such a service is "unregulated" than ISPs could be
 frozen out of the marketplace by single providers such as USW.  They have
 countered that if DSL is unregulated than not only with USW be offering it
 but the CLECs will also and that ISPs will not be frozen out of the market.


 The WUTC is looking at legislation to streamline their regulatory process,
 and other telecom providers are looking at ways to force USWest to open up
 the network to increased competition -- we will keep you up to date as
 events develop.

 Finally, for those ISPs who have thought about becoming CLECs, there will
 be an informal workshop in Olympia this week on that topic.  WUTC and other
 CLECs will be discussing regulations and ways to open up the competitive
 loop.  If you are interested, it will be at 3pm on Wednesday 1/21 in Senate
 Hearing Room B.  If you would like additional information please drop an
 e-mail back.


 FYI, did you know you can "listen in" on the legislature?  TVW, the
 Washington State equivalent of C-SPAN has the audio and video portion of
 all legislative hearings, live or archived at their web site --
 http://www.tvw.org




 --hlLboLdkugWU4S2B--
--kurt
 I've always thought rock-and-roll made sex and drugs a whole lot less
 fun than they could've been.  Or maybe it's that sex and drugs made rock
 and roll tolerable...
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