Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should lower their monthly fees if they permit spam to reach their paying customers, say researchers at the University of Missouri in Columbia (UMC). In the brave new world of lower access fees in exchange for . . .
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should lower their monthly fees if they permit spam to reach their paying customers, say researchers at the University of Missouri in Columbia (UMC). In the brave new world of lower access fees in exchange for spam, satisfied consumers would pay less for Internet service, claim UMC associate professor of journalism Clyde Bentley and doctoral student Anca Micu. ISPs would cover their discount costs with ad dollars from spammers, and advertisers would improve their marketing efficiency by sending spam only to consumers willing to accept it.

"Both the U.S. newspaper industry and the commercial broadcast industry are based on similar attitudes," Bentley told NewsFactor. "Newspapers charge readers just a small percentage of the cost of producing their product, collecting 80 percent or more of their revenue via advertising. Broadcasters provide 'free' content courtesy of the businesses that pay for commercials."