Let me put it  this way. If this act passes, the Internet  as we know it,
and AOL,  CompuServe and others,  are dead.  So, I wouldn't  really worry
about what it means for mailing lists. The only viable option is for this
act not to become law, and it looks like there are billions of dollars if
legal muscle ready to be unleashed if it does.
 
Incidentally,  I  find  the   part  about  "foreign"  communication  very
interesting.  It  appears  that  the  US has  now  decided  that  it  has
jurisdiction  over the  entire  world :-)  As far  as  mailing lists  are
concerned, it also appears that a  foreigner happily posting to a foreign
list in a foreign country would  have the responsibility to obtain a list
of all the subscribers and see if by  any chance one of them might not be
from the US, and if so further  check that such subscribers are not under
18. Otherwise, by posting to this foreign list he would become a criminal
in the US. I am sure the lawyers who are going to have to fight this case
will find this very interesting :-)
 
  Eric