Note:  The following information was accurate when this page was last revised in early 1999.  More current information on spam legislation can be found at Spam Laws.

• Inbox Privacy Act of 1999 (S. 759)  [status]
  (sponsored by Sen. Murkowski and referred to committee; would require senders of unsolicited commercial e-mail to honor opt-out requests, including domain-wide requests submitted by domain name owners)

• Comparison table (bills introduced through 1998)

• Netizens Protection Act of 1997 (H.R. 1748)  [status]
  (sponsored by Rep. C. Smith; would have amended the TCPA to prohibit unsolicited e-mail advertisements)

• Data Privacy Act of 1997 (H.R. 2368)  [status]
  (sponsored by Rep. Tauzin; would have established an industry group to draft voluntary guidelines requiring unsolicited e-mail advertisements to identify the sender, include a valid reply address, and honor opt-out requests)

• E-Mail User Protection Act of 1998 (H.R. 4124)  [status]
  (sponsored by Rep. Cook; would have required unsolicited e-mail advertisements to include valid return addresses and honor opt-out requests, including indirect notice under an Internet standard; would have prohibited sending unsolicited e-mail advertisements to subscribers of an ISP if the sender knew or should have known that the ISP prohibits such messages)

• Digital Jamming Act of 1998 (H.R. 4176)  [status]
  (sponsored by Rep. Markey; would have required unsolicited e-mail advertisements to identify the sender and honor opt-out requests, and would have authorized the FCC to create a universal exclusion/opt-out list)

• Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Choice Act of 1997 (S. 771)  [status]
  (sponsored by Sen. Murkowski; among other provisions, the bill would have required senders to label each commercial e-mail message as an "advertisement" and to honor opt-out requests, and would have required ISPs to block out incoming advertisements upon request)

• Electronic Mailbox Protection Act of 1997 (S. 875)  [status]
  (sponsored by Sen. Torricelli; among other provisions, the bill would have restricted e-mail address "harvesting," and would have required senders of unsolicited e-mail--including noncommercial messages--to use valid reply addresses, to honor opt-out requests, and to comply with Internet standards regarding unsolicited e-mail)

• Anti-Slamming Amendments Act (S. 1618/H.R. 3888)  [status]
  (one version would have required unsolicited e-mail advertisements to identify the sender and honor opt-out requests; another version called upon the private sector to implement measures to prevent the improper use of unsolicited commercial e-mail)

• Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. § 227
  (prohibits unsolicited advertisements sent to a "telephone facsimile machine")

• Restrictions on Telephone Solicitation, 47 C.F.R. 64.1200
  (FCC regulation implementing the TCPA)

• Commentary on the applicability of the TCPA to e-mail:
  • Mark Eckenwiler, "Just the Fax, Ma'am," NetGuide (March 1996)
  • Russell Smith, "What's Covered by the TCPA?"
  • David E. Sorkin, "Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail and the TCPA," 45 Buffalo L. Rev. 1001 (Fall 1997)