MAPS Lists AT&T Addresses on RBL
Mail Abuse Prevention System LLC yesterday added a block of AT&T's Internet protocol addresses to its Realtime Blackhole List in an effort to prevent the delivery of any e-mail from those sites to Internet service providers that subscribe to MAPS' RBL.The move was prompted by complaints to MAPS that AT&T was allowing spam to be sent through its servers.
MAPS' RBL is a listing of ISPs that encourage or are neutral to companies that send or allow spam to be sent through their servers.
Neither AT&T nor MAPS would comment on the RBL listing.
AT&T has said it does not tolerate spam. However, earlier this year it admitted entering into a "pink contract" with Nevada Hosting. A pink contract is a deal that an ISP enters into with a hosting company that features lax spam enforcement in exchange for higher fees. AT&T has since rescinded that contract.
The block of IP addresses placed on the RBL was assigned to BeaverHome, a Canadian home furnishings Web site, which leases some of its bandwidth to e-mail marketer MonsterHut. MonsterHut is in litigation with ISP PaeTec Communications over allegations it was sending spam. The New York state Supreme Court is scheduled to decide the case May 21.
