Though nonprofit and advocacy groups have loudly opposed AOL's use of Goodmail CertifiedEmail, legislators have been relatively quiet on the issue — until now.
At a news conference yesterday, California state Sen. Dean Florez, a Democrat, criticized AOL's attempt to create a “two-tiered world of e-mail service.”
“It seems to me that AOL is setting a horrible precedent here,” he said. “The whole ideal of Net neutrality gets wiped away, and we are left with an Internet of haves and have-nots.”
Florez said he plans to take a closer look at the possible risks of the AOL proposal at next month's hearing of the California Senate's Select Committee on E-Commerce, Wireless Technology and Consumer Driven Programming. He will ask the committee to consider creating a new section of California law dedicated to regulating the Internet, covering issues from phishing to malicious pop-up ads to identity theft.
In a statement, AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said: “We respectfully disagree. We look forward to providing Mr. Florez with the true facts and a clear picture of what we’re doing with Certified Email and with our new, pro-bono, free e-mail delivery program for nonprofits and nonprofit advocacy organizations.”
Christine Blank covers online marketing and advertising, including e-mail marketing and paid search, for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
