SPAM WATCH
FTC Finds That CAN-SPAM Is Working - Two years ago, thanks in part to TRAC’s “Ban the Spam” campaign, Congress passed the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003, better known as the CAN-SPAM Act. While the Act was derided as ineffective by some, the law, along with improved anti-spam filtering technologies, does appear to be having an effect on the deluge of spam, according a new report published last month by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency charged with enforcing the provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act. The Act has forced many legitimate e-mail marketers to adopt industry “best practices,” noted the report. In addition, the Act has given state and federal agencies and ISP’s the tools to pursue more than 50 cases against serial spammers. “The volume of spam sent over the Internet has begun to level off, and, even more significantly, the amount reaching consumers’ inboxes has decreased, due to enhanced anti-spam technologies,” wrote the FTC. The report also notes a significant decrease in sexually explicit spam, though the rise of “malware,” -- spam that harms the recipient’s computer – was highlighted as a new and troubling trend. For the moment at least, it appears that the spam epidemic has been brought under control. “In essence, these developments suggest that spam has not, as once feared, destroyed the promise of email,” claims the report. For more information on TRAC’s “Ban the Spam” campaign, visit www.banthespam.org. To read the FTC’s CAN-SPAM status report, click here.
WIRELESS WATCH
Use Your Camera Phone to Scan and E-mail Documents For Free - A new service called scanR may help camera phone-equipped consumers save some time. At its core, scanR lets users take a picture of a document or whiteboard with their camera phone (with at least 1 megapixel resolution) and have the images faxed to them or e-mailed in PDF format. Some of the more useful ways to take advantage of service are to keep digital copies of checks, e-mail signed expense reports, fax a contract while on the road, or copy notes from a classmate. In addition, scanR will clean up background noise, soft focus, shadows, and poor alignment which often make pictures taken my camera-phones difficult to see clearly. Right now, the only fees associated with scanR are the charges assessed by the wireless provider for sending the multimedia messaging system (MMS) messages from consumers’ camera phones to scanR. Most wireless providers charge around 20-25 cents per message sent and received, making sending multiple pages of documents to scanR somewhat costly for users. Many carriers offer a package of MMS minutes per month for a flat rate, so this could be something to explore if you plan to send a lot of MMS messages. To use scanR, consumers use the following steps:
- Take a picture of the document or whiteboard you wish to have scanned.
- Send the picture as an attachment to an MMS text message to wb@scanr.com for whiteboards or doc@scanr.com for documents. (Note: This will likely incur a charge from your wireless provider.)
- ScanR will send a text message back with an activation code. You will need to enter the code along with the e-mail address you want to use for the service and select a password at https://www.scanr.com/act.aspx?type=try. ScanR will then send e-mail to that address to activate the account.
- Check your e-mail for the scanned image.
- Once you’ve set up the account, you can continue sending documents to scanR and use the service normally to retrieve your scans.
Note: To have the scanned image faxed to a number in the U.S. or Canada, include the destination fax number in the subject or body of the message when sending the image.
A premium version for the Palm Treo 700w smartphone costs $19.95 annually, but scanR says that they plan to continue offering the standard service for free. For more information on scanR, visit www.scanr.com.
TRAC AND YOU
What to Do About Bad Cingular Service? – An e-mailer from Dumfries, Virginia sent us this question:
I am a former AT&T Wireless user who now must use the Cingular network if I choose to stay with Cingular. Using the old AT&T system (now managed by Cingular) I am constantly dropping calls, am unable to hear the caller (and vice versa) and most importantly, cannot make a call most of the time (no bars!). Cingular said the problem was because of the old AT&T towers and that if I got new cell phones from Cingular, the problem would disappear since I would be using Cingular towers. If Cingular bought AT&T and they are now one, aren't ALL the towers Cingular towers and shouldn't service be broader because of the acquisition of AT&T? Also why do I have to get new Cingular phones when my "old phones" (Sony Ericsson T616) work perfectly well? My neighbors have no problems using Verizon and Sprint. It’s all very curious!
This is an interesting problem. Ex-AT&T Wireless subscribers using AT&T’s old TDMA network would be the most likely candidates for these types of issues. However, the Sony Ericsson T616 model you mention is a GSM phone and should work well since both AT&T Wireless and Cingular were using GSM technology at the time of the merger. Unfortunately, you’re stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Cingular will likely not replace your handset unless you sign up for a new Cingular service plan that will likely be more expensive than the old AT&T Wireless service plan you’re currently on. AT&T Wireless offered a number of bargain basement service plans shortly before the Cingular merger was announced and it would not be surprising if Cingular was anxious to rid itself of these legacy plans. At this point, since your one or two-year service contract with AT&T Wireless/Cingular is likely fulfilled, it may make more sense to shop for a service plan with another carrier that works in your local calling area as opposed to continuing to pay Cingular for service that doesn’t work.
INTERESTING LINKS
FCC Main Page: http://www.fcc.gov
FCC Complaint Form - http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm
List of State Regulatory Commissions: http://www.naruc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=15
What do you think? Got a tip you want to share? Nominate your "Scam of the Week" and your "Tip of the Week" - If we select your submission, we'll give you a one-year free membership in TRAC and acknowledge your contribution by name in TRACNotes. Send an e-mail to trac@trac.org to submit your ideas!
TRACNotes is distributed to TRAC members and those who have signed up on the TRAC website "Newscenter." If you do not want to receive TRACNotes, simply click here and let us know. You won't receive these in the future. We hope you choose to remain a part of our network, and that you find TRACNotes helpful. Our goal is to provide you with useful information about what is happening in the telecommunications marketplace for consumers and to keep you up to date on TRAC's policy advocacy. If you like what you see, please consider becoming a member of TRAC by clicking here.
©2005 Telecommunications Research and Action Center. TRAC grants unlimited rights to reproduce TRACNotes or any information contained in it provided attribution is given as follows: "Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org"
