MSN Offers Free Re-route.com Service to New Customers

Microsoft's MSN has partnered with Re-route.com, Inc. to provide one free month of Re-route's "Change of Address" service to new MSN members. By filling out a short form on Re-route's Web site, new MSN members can have
e-mails sent to their old e-mail address, including America Online, forwarded along to their new MSN e-mail address. In addition, Re-route will send an e-mail reminder to those who e-mail the old address letting them know that the recipient's e-mail address has changed.

Re-route.com's President and CEO Cloyd Laporte said in a statement, "Changing e-mail addresses is difficult, and a major reason Internet users
hesitate to change ISPs. We solve this problem by providing both e-mail forwarding service and change of address notification. " He continued, "By enabling Internet users to choose the ISP that best meets their needs, we
believe the Re-route service will change the competitive landscape in the ISP industry. "

Re-route.com is currently available to users of any ISP for $25 for three months of forwarding. Users who switch to MSN, Telocity, or RCN will receive one free month of Re-route, but can get an extra three months of re-routing for $25.

Some ISPs could have concerns about third-party services accessing their systems to forward members' e-mail, with or without authorization. BetaNews is investigating whether any ISPs have or plan to block Re-route.com's service from downloading mail from their servers.

Neither Microsoft nor America Online were available for comment at press time.