CURRENT TIME --

 

Tuesday, April 15, 2003 12:15PM CDST

EMAIL SPAM FILTERING

Dear SimplyNET Customers,

What is spam? "Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send -- most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender."

We recently installed a filtering program on our mail server to combat the unsolicited spam and viruses our customers are bombarded with from outside our network. This effort was in response to the overwhelming request from our customers to address the spam and virus issues relating to email they receive. The intention was to make a valiant effort to severely minimize the volume of spam and viruses our customers were receiving from outside our network. In other words, our customers had serious concerns about this issue, and we responded to their concerns.

As a result of this process, a few customers contacted us to let us know that they were not getting email from certain people they had previously received email from. We instructed those people to give us a list of those email addresses they were not receiving email from.

If you are not receiving email from a particular email address, it may be because that person's Internet Service Provider (ISP) is on the spam list. Please remember that ultimately it is the responsibility of the ISP actually sending the email to be off the spam list. If an ISP is on the spam list, email from this ISP is not accepted by other ISPs who are filtering spam. SimplyNET is not responsible for unreceived email in this situation, but we are willing to assist you in determining if you are not receiving the email because the sending ISP is on the spam list or because of some other reason.

Our intentions for this new service were good. We were trying to provide this enhanced service for our customers in response to feedback from our customers. It was a sizable investment for us to provide this service, so we did not (and do not) take this project lightly at all.

Most customers have been elated with the new filter. We have received numerous emails and phone calls from customers who are thrilled with the new mail filtering. For the few that have voiced concerns, we have made every effort to work with them as previously stated. Most customers who have voiced concerns have emailed us (some have called) with a list of email addresses they were no longer receiving email from.

As of last night (April 14, 2003), we have temporarily stopped the filtering all together, so the spam and viruses are not currently being filtered. For the time being, individual users are once again responsible for their own protection from whatever spam and viruses they receive via email. We will bring the filter back up again after we make a few modifications and analyze how to make this solution beneficial to the many diverse needs and preferences of a multitude of end users.

Please note that once we stopped the filtering program, we made the decision to allow every message in the mail queue to be delivered. As a result of this decision, you will receive whatever mail was in the queue addressed to you - which may also result in duplicate mail in some cases.

You should be receiving email from anyone and everyone right now. When we re-enable the filtering, you may need to contact us with a list of email addresses from you that you are unable to receive email from so we can assist you in determining why.

Most of the spam and viruses that have been filtered have actually been deleted. Some email that the filter deems to be spam may appear in your Inbox marked with a "{Spam?}" included in the first part of the "Subject" line. This is an indicator that this email has been ruled as "probable spam." You can delete these, read them, or setup rules in your mail client software to send them to a folder of your choice on your system.

This is a case where adding an enhanced service has been great for the majority of our customers and yet it has also created issues for a few customers. We are just as interested in addressing the issues for the few as we are in making the majority happy. This is a typical situation that requires customers to communicate with us and provide feedback concerning issues they may experience.

Again, our intention for this service is to benefit our customers.

Please let us know if you do not wish for your email to be filtered for spam.

From the management team of SimplyNET, LTD, we do sincerely appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

SimplyNET, LTD Management

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Copy of Letter from SBC:

NOTICE of Proposed Changes to
LOCAL PLUS/1+ SAVER DIRECT

February 26, 2003

Dear Valued Customer,

SBC Oklahoma is proposing to replace the current Local Plus plan and modify the 1+ SAVER Direct plan due to unanticipated extraordinary cost.

Pending approval of our revised plan, we will be offering a new optional local toll calling plan, Toll Value. This plan will replace the current Local Plus plan. The new Toll Value plan will be just $31.95 a month for residential service and will be available to you on September 15, 2003.

The revised Toll Value plan provides for:

· Up to 2,000 local toll minutes (33 hours) for $31.95 per month.
· The ability to dial 1+ the area code and seven-digit phone number in the 918 or 405/580 area code calling area.
· Local toll minutes used over the 2,000 minutes monthly allowance to be charged at the competitive rate of 9 cents per minute for residential service.
· SBC Oklahoma must be your local toll service provider

It is our hope that the Toll Value plan satisfies your local toll calling needs.

In addition, we are proposing to modify our 1+ SAVER Direct plan, which will now include a monthly allowance of 2,000 local toll minutes. The monthly rate will be $17.95. Minutes used over the allowance will be billed at 9 cents per minute. This change will become effective September 15, 2003, if approved.

The new Toll Value plan and modified 1+ SAVER Direct plan will not be available until September 15, 2003. Local Plus will remain in effect until October 15, 2003, at which time it will be discontinued.

While no action is required at this time, a reminder will be sent to you 30 days prior to September 15, asking you to notify us if you wish to subscribe to a new plan. If you do not subscribe to a new plan, your local toll calls will be completed by your pre-selected local toll service provider, if any.

Should you, between September 15 and October 15, 2003, choose the new Toll Value plan or 1+ SAVER Direct plan, SBC Oklahoma will extend to you our special introductory offer-a 20% discount off that plan's monthly rate for the first 90 days. Again, no action is required on your part at this time. We will be in touch with you again in August to remind you of the upcoming changes and provide you with ample time to make your selection.

If you'd like information on any of our other products and services, you can visit us at sbc.com.

Thank you for choosing SBC Oklahoma. We appreciate your business.

Regards,

Joseph Ewatuya
Associate Director - Product Marketing

SBC Southwestern Bell™ is now simply SBC.®

 

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Bell ordered to re-examine calling plans

2002-08-11
By Chip Minty
The Oklahoman

Corporation commissioners Friday told Southwestern Bell Oklahoma to take another look at proposed changes to long- distance calling plans that will affect more than 100,000 rural customers.

The company's plan has enraged customers in dozens of small communities.

Southwestern Bell is asking the Corporation Commission to approve its request to discontinue rural plans known as Local Plus and One Plus Saver Direct.

For a flat fee, the phone company has sold customers across the state unlimited long- distance access to huge areas.

In a request filed July 29, Southwestern Bell proposed a plan that would limit customers to 2,000 minutes per month before additional charges kick in.

Customers complain that 2,000 minutes is not adequate, especially for people who use the Internet.

Southwestern Bell representatives said Friday they would be willing to work with the commission to review the plan.

The company's proposal ignited hundreds of angry telephone calls and e-mails to the commission last week.

"Every call made outside of Rush Springs is a long-distance call," one writer said in an e- mail. "All appointments for doctors and dentists will be docked against our minutes if the proposed change is approved."

The writer, whose name was not released because of open records restrictions, said Internet access is only possible through long-distance calls.

In an e-mail sent to The Oklahoman last week, Debbie Fancher of Alex said the proposed change would pose a hardship on families with children who need the Internet to do schoolwork.

Reaction to the phone company's request was so strong that the Corporation Commission included the matter on its deliberation agenda Friday morning.

The Local Plus and One Plus Saver Direct program was the result of a joint effort between the commission and the phone company in 1998. It was intended to give rural customers access to calling areas that are at least comparable to those in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Commission Chairman Denise Bode encouraged Southwestern Bell to review the plan with Corporation Commission staff.

Company spokesman Marty Richter said the proposed changes were prompted by about 3 percent of the customers using the service -- heavy users who dial up Internet connections and stay online for hours, even days, at a time.

Many of these connections are outside Southwestern Bell's calling area, forcing the company to pay terminating access fees, Richter said. They account for 66 percent of the access fees the company must pay.

"Those fees equate to almost 80 percent of our expenses in offering the plans, and they're increasing dramatically," he said.

Those customers pay Southwestern Bell $33 a month for the service, then log more than 2,000 minutes on Internet connections. That costs the company an average 5.5 cents a minute in terminated access fees, or a minimum of $77 a month, Richter said.

He said 97 percent of customers who use the calling plans logged fewer than 2,000 minutes. Records provided to the commission show some of the rural customers are logging 40,000 minutes per month.

Joyce Davidson, acting director of the commission's public utilities division, said her staff will meet with Southwestern Bell representatives next week.

Under the new plan, residential customers would get 2,000 minutes, more than 33 hours, a month for $31.95. Additional minutes would cost 9 cents each. The current plan charges $33.07 per month for unlimited access.

For businesses a second plan would offer 2,000 minutes for $55 per month and 8 cents for each additional minute. Businesses using the current plan pay $65 per month for unlimited access.

 

Oklahoma Corporation Commission
http://www.occ.state.ok.us