ACMA deputy director says industry faces stormy challenges

The US Postal Service's planned exigent price increase, recently proposed federal draft privacy legislation and a Colorado tax law are creating a “perfect storm” to hinder catalogers, said Paul Miller, VP and deputy director of the American Catalog Mailers Association, in his latest bulletin to members.

Miller saved some of his strongest words for the draft privacy legislation from Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL). He said the draft, if it became law, “could cripple all marketing channels, including catalogs, e-mail and web marketing.”

Miller isn't alone in his distaste for the possible legislation. Netchoice, an industry coalition with AOL, eBay and Yahoo among its members, came out against the bill last week.

Last month, Linda Woolley, EVP of government affairs at the Direct Marketing Association, said such a bill “would pretty much kill direct marketing as we know it.” Jeannine Gibson, marketing director at Infocus Marketing, meanwhile, said it would “have a far-reaching negative impact on the list-rental industry.”