AOL Bows to Nonprofit E-Mailers

Less than a week after interest groups complained about a proposed bulk e-mailing fee, America Online Inc. said nonprofit organizations would not have to pay to send mass messages to their members after all.

The Dulles, Va.-based company said Friday that it would offer qualified groups a bulk e-mail service comparable to one that would be available to commercial e-mail senders. It also said it would pay the fees for the nonprofits and advocacy groups.

AOL’s original plan would have required all bulk e-mailers to pay a fee -- 0.25 cent to 1 cent per message -- to route e-mail to a user’s mailbox without passing through junk mail filters.

But Monday, a consortium of nonprofit groups, including the AFL-CIO and political group MoveOn.org Civic Action, blasted plans to charge for the service, saying it would stifle communication from organizations that couldn’t afford to pay.