Verizon email has providing many offers like a cash rebate to net users who had messages blocked during a notorious period either side of Christmas 2004. Verizon email part of a tentative settlement to a pair of class action suits that arose from the blockade. The catch is it only applies to Verizon's own stateside Internet customers. If you were sending a message from Europe or Asia, only to see it blocked by Verizon's over-aggressive filters, you're out of luck. The blockade began on 22 December 2004, with Verizon blocking a range of filters from Europe and Asia. Many Register readers in the US were affected, as our daily newsletter was blacklisted in the blockade.

At one stage, Verizon email PR rep even advised his ISP customers to get on the phone. If it's really important you might want to make a phone call, Ells Edwards said. Since 22 December, mail servers at verizon have been configured to reject connections from Europe and other parts of the world including China and New Zealand by default, according to Reg readers and industry sources such as MessageLabs. The Verizon email move is designed to reduce spam and says it is following industry best practice and applying blacklists as narrowly as possible.