Verizon blockade against European emails.

I have worked in the IT industry and one of my tasks was the administration of Email servers so I know about how bad the SPAM problem is but Verizon is going too far in blocking servers.

They seem to have taken the option to block mail from Europe by default and only allow servers to send email if the ISP/Company can prove they aren't guilty of sending SPAM.

Europe isn't even that big a source of SPAM so I don't know why this was done.

theregister.co.uk
US ISP Verizon is persisting with a controversial policy of blocking email sent from Europe. Since 22 December, mail servers at verizon.net have been configured not to accept connections from Europe by default.

Verizon is blocking ranges of IP addresses belonging to British and European ISPs (the IP space from RIPE, APNIC, and more) in a misguided attempt to reduce spam. Domains are only unblocked following complaints, with Europeans effectively treated as guilty till proven innocent.

www.wired.com
Verizon media relations manager Ells Edwards said he did not know when Verizon would discontinue its blocking of the European e-mail. "Normally these things abate in a matter of days," Edwards said.

Verizon has more than 3 million DSL customers, according to Edwards.

Edwards suggested that Verizon customers who are waiting for an e-mail response from Europe should use alternative forms of communication.
"If it's really important you might want to make a phone call," he said.

[edit on 15-1-2005 by AceOfBase]

I think you answered your own question, Verizon is after all also a PHONE company. So here is a question for you which costs more a phone call to munich from chicago or an e-mail from Munich to Chicago?
I think big business is cursing the internet and free nearly instantaneous communication between most parts of the world.

Now thats a dirty tactic if ever I've seen one. If they want to block whole ranges, they should start with Asia, as I've had to shut out acccees to whole ISPs from there due to repeated attempts at compromising my machines. Wonder if they are going to get slapped with a law suit or peanalties by the feds for f-ed up buisness practices?

They should block the whole of America considering thats the spam king of the world that sends 3 times more spam than the next worst country.