Should ISPs take cue from post office?

SHOULD ISPs TAKE CUE FROM POST OFFICE?
[SOURCE: Associated Press]
The post office forwards letters when a person moves, and telephone companies likewise forward calls. Should Internet companies be required to forward e-mails to customers who switch providers? There is no mandate governing e-mail forwarding, and industry officials say imposing one would be costly and unnecessary. But federal regulators are looking at the issue more closely after a complaint from a former America Online customer who claims an abrupt termination of service devastated her business. Gail Mortenson, a Washington-based freelance editor, in July filed a six-page petition with the Federal Communications Commission, which opened a 30-day public comment period that ends Friday, followed by another 30-day period for replies. Mortenson said in her complaint that she lost potential clients because they couldn't reach her, and she requested that Internet service providers, such as Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, be required to forward e-mail traffic from a closed account to a new e-mail address designated by customers for at least six months.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-email25oct25,1,466834...
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