HEARD THIS ONE?
E-mail surcharge rumor untrue

Some urban legends just won't die. For example, there's a rumor that comes and goes that Congress is going to pass legislation introduced by a Member of Congress named "Tony Schnell" authorizing the Postal Service to impose a 5-cent surcharge on each e-mail message delivered over the Internet. Under the "Schnell bill," the IRS would collect the revenue and then deliver it to USPS.

This rumor is false. Congress is not considering, nor has it ever considered, any such bill. Furthermore, there is no Congressman named "Tony Schnell." The U.S. Postal Service does not, and has no ability to, charge e-mail users for anything.

But don't take our word for it. Check out the U.S. Department of Energy's website, Washingtonian Magazine's website or snopes.com for an independent debunking of this myth.