In a letter of testimony presented today to the Senate Science and Technology Committee, State Representative Peter J. Larkin (D-Pittsfield) expressed his support of Senate 1911, An Act Regarding Commercial Electronic Mail. This legislation would regulate unsolicited commercial electronic mail, also known as spam.
The anti-spam bill has support from industry groups, the Attorney General' s Office, and State Senator Jarrett Barrios (D-Cambridge), the chief sponsor of the legislation in the Senate.
“Unwanted and misleading commercial e-mail, commonly known as spam, is a significant problem for Internet users in Massachusetts and around the world,†said Larkin, the lead House sponsor of the legislation. “The Attorney General’s office has heard complaints from consumers about spam in their e-mail inboxes. But due to First Amendment considerations, the Legislature cannot enact an outright ban on this form of communication. However, we can provide basic protections from unwanted and misleading e-mails. Senate 1911 seeks to do just that, as 26 other states have already passed some form of legislation regulating SPAM.â€
This legislation would:
(1) require e-mail marketers to make a prominent disclosure in the subject line of the e-mail message indicating that the message is an advertisement as is used in other states with the “ADV:†in the subject line of the e-mail
(2) require senders to make a prominent disclosure in the subject line that the message contains or refers to adult content with “ADLT†in the subject line of the e-mail
(3) prohibit misleading information such as a false sender address, forged routing information and deceptive text in the subject line or text of the message
(4) allow for and individual or an e-mail service provider to bring a lawsuit for money damages against someone who violated one of the above requirements and (5) would prohibit the sale of software used to falsify sending or routing information in electronic messages.
This legislation would affect e-mail sent on Massachusetts computers, e-mails sent using service provider equipment located in the Commonwealth, and messages that are sent to Massachusetts residents where the sender knows or should know that the recipient lives in Massachusetts. It would also not take effect for six months, thereby allowing time to give notice to commercial e-mailers of what will be required of them if they want to send messages from Massachusetts, into Massachusetts, or using service equipment that is in located in Massachusetts.
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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.
The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.
"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."
LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.
"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.
The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.
"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more