The TCPA: A Justification for the Prohibition of Spam in 2002?

Statistics show that more and more Americans are using the World Wide Web, making the Internet an increasingly integral part of everyday life. Fifty-six percent of Americans now have Internet access and are using it for the exchange of text, images, video and sound. During the last six months of 2000, the number of American adults with Internet access increased by 16 million, with the largest growth attributable to the increase of Internet use in the workplace. Almost every business, from Fortune 500 companies to small entrepreneurs, maintains websites and electronic mail (e-mail) addresses to communicate with and service their customers. Eighty-four percent of American workers report using the Internet every day or several times a day, as the workplace becomes increasingly dependent on the Internet for research, transactions, and everyday office functions.
Much of the inefficiency problem with e-mail can be attributed to the increase in the number of advertisers using the Internet. It is not surprising, given the number of people online and using e-mail, that advertisers are attempting to capitalize on this seemingly endless pool of potential customers. However, an advertiser’s dream has created nightmares for individual consumers and businesses alike. The nightmare comes in the form of spam.