Are Progressive Listserves Arbitarily being Blocked by AT&T?

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By Caroline Vernon

A few months back, PACG (Progressive Action for the Common Good) started experiencing problems with our members dropping off our email list.  Oddly, as site administrator, I was not receiving any official bounceback notices informing me of any undelivered email with the occasional exception of a full mailbox now and again.

It wasn’t until the first of this year that I realized the extent of the problem and determined that most of our Mediacom and Yahoo users were being blocked from receiving our email. Last week I finally received a bounceback notice in my administrative inbox, with the names of almost 70 members which were”blocked for abuse”.  As it turns out, many of these members had not been receiving our email for weeks and in some cases months, so I was very concerned as to why I only recently received the bounceback notice. This indicates that the data was blocked going out and coming in.  I immediately contacted Mediacom and after much wrangling was told that the problem lies with AT&T as they manage the traffic for both carriers. A Mediacom representative actually told me we had been “blacklisted” but did not know why. I then contacted AT&T, following their recommended protocol and providing them with all pertinent information via email as no telephone number is available.

After 3 days, and no response from AT&T, I filed an official complaint with Congressman Braley’s Davenport office who in turn filed a complaint with the FCC. At that time, the FCC indicated they were receiving many similar complaints. The following day (yesterday) I received a response from AT&T which indicated that the block will be removed within 24 to 36 hours. A copy of their response is below.

I think it is important to mention that PACG has been advocating against telecom immunity within the FISA bill. We sent out many action alerts asking our members to contact their elected officials and even staged a funeral procession for the U.S. Constitution outside of Senator Grassley’s Davenport office. We were asking the Senator to vote against the bill that provided immunity, and to protect the Constitution. Channel 6 (KWQC) covered the event as did the Moline Dispatch. The related action alert that we sent out to our list was front and center on our website for many weeks.

As you may know, in January of this year, AT&T, Comcast, and others, announced that they would begin to take more aggressive steps to manage network traffic in order to minimize spam and safeguard against copyright infringement of video sharing, etc. Unfortunately, they seem to be inspecting for content other than what they have cited. PACG is an opt-in only email service. We do not send out spam or share video files although we may provide links to sites that do.

During the recent Hearing on Broadband Network Management, FCC Chairman, Kevin Martin stated,

“Obviously network operators can take reasonable steps to manage traffic, but they cannot arbitrarily block access.”

There is no justifiable reason to have blocked PACG for abuse as is sited in the communication below… nor is any explanation given as to why we were classified as such.

I have since received communications from other progressive organizations who have indicated that much of their email is also being blocked. Given AT&T's response below, it seems as though they are saying this may be an ongoing problem for many listserves, and they seem to be passing the buck right back to the carriers.

If any of your organizations are experiencing similar problems, I strongly recommend that you contact your Congressperson and/or Senators to file an official complaint with the FCC.

In order to track this issue more closely, I am creating a list of all organizations who are having similar problems with delivery of their email. I can be reached at carolina1961@gmail.com or 563-676-7580.  

Response from AT&T:

Administrator/Customer:

Thank you for contacting the Postmaster/Abuse team at ATT.NET and
BELLSOUTH.NET.

The mail-server IP address(es) associated with your request will be
removed from the block-list within 24-36 hours from the receipt of
this letter.  ATT.NET and BELLSOUTH.NET, its affiliates, and network
services customers do NOT intentionally block legitimate mail in the
course of our anti-spam initiatives.  We regret any inconvenience this
may have caused.

Network administrators at ATT.NET and BELLSOUTH.NET closely analyze
the mail stream bound for our customers to identify sources that exhibit
the characteristics of compromised network objects or are compromised
by an offender of Acceptable Use Policies.  While a certain level of
this kind of mail is to be expected in today's internet traffic, when
this occurs above generous thresholds set by ATT.NET and BELLSOUTH.NET
system administrators, immediate and decisive action is taken to
protect our network resources.

****CUSTOMERS****
If you submitted an IP address for removal through the administrator's
webform, or requested removal by emailing abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net, the
administrator of the sending mail service or hosting provider is unaware
of the issue and the IP may be blocked again.  It is imperative that the
sending service or hosting provider be made aware of the issue.  Please
send this message, along with the error message to that administrator
so action may be taken to resolve the issues that caused the block.  If
you forward mail from a hosting service to your ATT.NET and
BELLSOUTH.NET mail account, read the note on forwarded mail below.

****ADMINSTRATORS****
Please thoroughly check your IP logs before requesting removal.  If you
have already been removed, please examine your logs for rogue traffic,
AUP offenders, and compromised scripts or objects.  You must determine
that all traffic from the blocked IP is actually from your mail servers
to ensure your network is not compromised.  Administrators who fail to
do this may experience subsequent and more resolute blocking.


Thank you for helping the ATT.NET and BELLSOUTH.NET network combat
network abuse in all its forms.

Regards,

ATT.NET and BELLSOUTH.NET Postmaster/Abuse Team

****FORWARDED MAIL****
If you are forwarding mail from a vanity domain, hosting service, or
any other mail account that receives a high volume of spam, you may
be indirectly contributing to the blocking of that IP.  Forwarded spam
is still spam and should be filtered at the source to end the abuse of
network resources at the earliest point.  Users can do this by utilizing
spam filtering tools provided by the hosting service or external
Internet Service Provider before it is forwarded to your ATT.NET and
BELLSOUTH.NET.

Statement of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on Broadband Network Management Hearing:

http://www.freepress.net/news/30728

The US Social Forum is more than a conference, more than a networking bonanza, more than a reaction to war and repression.

The USSF will provide space to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, share our analysis of the problems our communities face, and bring renewed insight and inspiration. It will help develop leadership and develop consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.

The USSF sends a message to other people's movements around the world that there is an active movement in the US opposing US Policies at home and abroad.

We must declare what we want our world to look like and begin planning the path to get there. A global movement is rising. The USSF is our opportunity to demonstrate to the world Another World is Possible!

Check out the following link to see some of the many workshops that will be available...

http://www.ussf2007.org/en/submitted_proposals

If you would like to be part of this great adventure, please contact Caroline at 563-676-7580,  carolina1961@gmail.com

Establishing our Progressive Iowa Network (PIN) – Mark the Date!

On Saturday, June 9th, progressive leaders, activists and legislators from across the state will converge on Iowa City for our first 2007 Democracy for Iowa Organizing Summit.  We are still working out the details on the venue (forthcoming) but we will be meeting from 9am to 3pm (the last hour will be reserved for DFA-IA members to discuss administrative business so it will not be necessary for everyone to stay for that segment).

The purpose of this gathering is to establish the Progressive Iowa Network (PIN). This network will serve to better unite progressive organizations, legislators, and leaders across the state so we can support each other’s efforts around progressive issues in Iowa.

Currently, we have an unprecedented opportunity to get progressive legislation passed in our state. However, in order to achieve legislative victories on the issues that we care about, we must establish an effective framework that allows us to better organize our efforts, clarify our message, mobilize our base, educate the public and influence our state officials.

We have identified the following 5 issues as requiring urgent action:

1. VOICE (Voter-Owned Iowa Clean Elections)
2. CAFO regulations / Farm Bill
3. Fair Share
4. Healthcare
5. Media

Please note: we want ALL progressive organizations to attend this meeting and become part of this network even if we may not be focusing on your specific issues at this time.

The Summit Agenda will cover the following:

I. Why is PIN important?

The first part of this summit will discuss why PIN is important. Groups/Individuals will be asked to introduce themselves and identify their main areas and issues of focus:

• Policy/Research
• Lobbying
• Media/Public Relations (including bloggers)
• Grassroots Organizing

This will NOT be an informational meeting about the issues, but rather a strategy session on how we can support each other moving forward.

II. Update & Evaluation of the recent Iowa Legislative Session

• What went well?
• What would we do differently?

III. Break-Out Sessions by Issue

• Strategize with other progressives around the state that are working on the same issue.
• What kind of help do you need from other organizations/leaders who may not be directly involved in your issue.

Lunch

IV. Report back to larger group identifying specific needs

• What do you need from PIN?

We will not have time to hear specific plans but rather will want to hear your list of needs on how other organizations/leaders can help you make progress around your issue.

V. Where does PIN go from here?

We will discuss logistics, network structure and set a date and time for our next meeting(s).

VI. DFA-Iowa Administrative Planning Session (for DFA-IA members)

This last segment will be for DFA-IA members to discuss by-laws, how we can better support Blog for Iowa, and other administrative details.

Outreach around this summit has been underway for awhile -- many progressive organizations/individuals in Iowa have already been notified. However, if you have not yet heard from us directly, please email Caroline Vernon ASAP: carolina1961@gmail.com. We need every progressive organization, leader and legislator in Iowa to participate in order to achieve maximum effectiveness as a network.

  Turn up the Heat on Congress: Tell Your Senators to Support Net Neutrality

If you live in Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, or Virginia, we've identified several opportunities for you to go before your senators and ask them to take a stand for Net Neutrality.

Check the Action Squad calendar now to get the latest on upcoming public appearances by your senators. Attend your senator's next town meeting and speak up for the free and open Internet.

Sen. Grassley at the 2006 Women's Conference

7:45 a.m., Monday, August 21

Hy-Vee Conference Center

West Des Moines, IA 50309

Senator Chuck Grassley and Barbara Grassley will host the 2006 Women's Conference on Monday, August 21, 2006, at the Hy-Vee Conference Center in West Des Moines. For more information please contact Mike Steenhoek at mike_steenhoek@grassley.senate.gov or 515-288-1145.