AOL and Yahoo had unveiled the plan as part of their partnership with Goodmail. The companies proposed the creation of a type of electronic postage stamp that could be bought for around one cent. Purchasing the stamp would allow marketers to avoid spam filters and have guaranteed delivery to AOL and Yahoo subscribers.

Critics have balked at the plan, noting that it legitimizes spammers willing to pay to get their messages through. But the companies have countered that the senders buying the stamps would have to promise to contact only people who have signed up for opt-in messages.

Organized Resistance

Backlash against the fee-for-delivery plan now has grown more organized. A campaign has been put together by MoveOn.org, an advocacy group, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The two watchdog groups have drawn about 50 other organizations to the cause, including the Democratic National Committee, the National Humane Society, and the Gun Owners of America.

A Web site has been set up at DearAOL.com to provide an online petition for Internet users to pledge support individually.

The groups have organized because they feel the fee will have a negative impact on small businesses, charities, and even families that have extensive mailing lists.

Sound and Fury

The umbrage over the proposed e-mail fees is coming long after the announcement was made, and well before all the details are decided, noted AOL spokesperson Nicholas Graham.

"Originally, the announcement about our plans with Goodmail was in October, and we've heard nothing about it until now," he said. "And now, the naysayer chorus has gotten operatic."

The attention came when AOL and Yahoo began sending around working drafts of the new service to e-mail stakeholders to gain their opinions, Graham noted.

"Things have been interpreted in the wrong way," he said. "We should have been more clear that we were initially in a discussion phase rather than making a policy, which we wouldn't do without getting significant feedback from our members."

Some of those who are battling any pay-for-delivery charges might not understand that the process would be voluntary rather than mandatory, Graham added.

"This is just a beneficial layer of e-mail delivery, and it would be up to the user as to whether they wanted it or not," he noted. "It's not like whitelists are going away."