FOR RELEASE	Contact: Dennis Watson
08/15/2002 (Thursday)	(202) 565-1596
No. 02-28	FIRS 1 (800) 877-8339
	www.stb.gov

Surface Transportation Board Announces Sept. 23, 2002 Implementation of New Website Features; Current Electronic News-Release Subscribers Must Resubscribe

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) announced today that, effective September 23, 2002, the Board will adopt a new system for disseminating its electronic news releases that will enable users to directly add or remove their electronic-mail subscriptions for news releases. The Board additionally advised the public that implementation of the new system will require all current subscribers to subscribe to the new system to ensure uninterrupted receipt of the agency's electronic news releases. This is especially important because the changeover from the Board's current e-mail subscription system to the new system will "drop" all current subscribers who do not subscribe to the new system.

Under the new system, a user will be able to add or remove his own e-mail address for electronic news releases merely by using the phrases "subscribe stbnews" or "unsubscribe stbnews" as the body of an e-mail message sent to the Board at stbnewslistserver@stb.dot.gov. The new system will electronically acknowledge receipt of the user's e-mail and perform the requested action.

Instructions for subscribing to the Board's electronic news-release list in preparation for the Board's implementation of the new system are as follows:

• CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS to the Board's electronic news-release list may subscribe now to the new system simply by sending an e-mail to stbnewslistserver@stb.dot.gov with only the words "subscribe stbnews" as the body of the message. When the new system is implemented, subscribed e-mail addresses will automatically receive any electronic news releases issued after implementation.

• NEW USERS WISHING TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CURRENT MAILING LIST until the system changeover may do so. Simply access the Board's website at www.stb.dot.gov, click the "Receive STB News" button on the home page, then enter the address information requested on the next page to appear. Note, however, that if new users thus subscribed to the current list want to continue to receive the Board's electronic news releases after September 23, they must subscribe to the new system by following the instructions for "Current Subscribers," above.

• NEW USERS WISHING ONLY TO SUBSCRIBE UNDER THE NEW SYSTEM to be implemented on September 23 may do so now by following the instructions under "Current Subscribers," above.

Instructions for subscribers to self-change their e-mail addresses under the new system will be placed on the Board's website once the new system's implementation has been accomplished.

The Board is adopting the new system to make electronic news-release address additions and removals faster and easier for users, and to make electronic "help" and general information more readily available via its website. The Board will continue to advise the public of the agency's efforts to increase the availability of, and the ease in accessing and using, electronic information on its site to make it even more "user friendly."

The Board added that, as with current user e-mail address information contained within the agency's electronic news-release subscription list, any addresses registered with the agency under the new system will be secure, and the Board will not share such information with any other federal agency or private entity.

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