A BBHub reader, Rogers Wireless employee and BlackBerry subscriber named "Gexxy" says he (maybe a she but for consistency will refer to Gexxy as "he") tells me he's just received an email from Rogers about new anti-spam measures being undertaken for their BlackBerry Internet Service Accounts.

"In response to the increased amount of SPAM e-mail that has been showing up in the Inbox @rogers.blackberry.net) of BlackBerry Internet Service customers, RIM will be implementing additional improvements to the BIS anti-spam filters to reduce, but not eliminate, the number of unwanted and unsolicited e-mails starting on December 2, 2006," the letter reads. "Also, RIM will be implementing additional enhancements to BIS in upcoming releases to further reduce the amount of SPAM messages."

The letter then goes on to say that this update to the BIS Anti-SPAM solution will be based on a Reputation Scoring System, and will require no end-user interaction, acceptance, or configuration by customers. There will be no charge for the Anti-SPAM solution on BlackBerry Internet Service.

Gexxy has also provided the text an FAQ that was included with the letter.

While we tend to avoid cut-and-paste jobs here like the plague, I think you will agree with me this new anti-spam policy is important enough to justify us replicating Rogers' FAQ about the subject.

S here goes:Q. What is SPAM?
A. SPAM is unsolicited e-mail on the Internet. It is a form of bulk mail that is sent to a large number of users belonging to a distribution list. To the receiver, it is generally unwanted and is considered as junk mail.

Q. How does the Anti-SPAM feature work on BIS?

A. The Anti-SPAM solution will be based on a Reputation Scoring System, and requires no end-user interaction, acceptance, or configuration by customers. There is no charge for the Anti-SPAM solution on BlackBerry Internet Service. Please NOTE: The Anti-SPAM on BIS only works with customers who have activated the optional @rogers.blackberry.net email account. BIS Anti-SPAM does not filter other email accounts such as POP3/IMAP, Yahoo!, Rogers Yahoo!, MSN, Gmail, etc. Customers will still need to configure their anti-SPAM settings with their 3 rd party ISP and email services to reduce any SPAM messages being delivered to their BlackBerry devices or desktop email client.

Q. Why is this happening only to @rogers.blackberry.net email accounts?

A. BIS Anti-SPAM for the @rogers.blackberry.net email accounts does not provide any end-user SPAM configurable settings. This is to make sure that legitimate email is not automatically blocked and will be delivered to the Inbox. BIS does provide end-users with the ability to setup up email filters so only email from approved senders will only be delivered to a customerâ?Ts Inbox. However, other POP3/IMAP services may provide anti-SPAM filters that allow customers to set their own thresholds. For further details, customers should contact their ISP (Internet Service Provider) or email service provider to find out more about their anti-SPAM settings. If the ISP or email service provider does not filter out SPAM email, these SPAM messages will still be delivered to their BlackBerry.

Q. How much does BIS service cost?

A. BIS is available at no additional charge to customers who activate their BlackBerry with a monthly BlackBerry e-mail plan or BlackBerry Voice & Email Package.

Q. What if a customer incurred an overage charge on their monthly bill as a result of SPAM email?

A. Customers who believe they have incurred an overage charge on their monthly bill as a result of SPAM email may be eligible for a one-time credit equal to a maximum of 1 MB ($5 - $31 depending on the BlackBerry Email or BlackBerry Voice & Email Package the customer has subscribed to). 1 MB of BlackBerry data is equivalent to 500 incoming email messages. Customers may contact Customer Care free of charge by dialing * 611 on their Rogers BlackBerry or by calling toll free at 1-877-764-3772. Please inform the customer they should only contact Customer Care once they have received their current bill. The one time credit adjustment will be processed up to February 28, 2007 .

Q. What does a customer do if they are still continuing to receive SPAM email in their BlackBerry Internet Service inbox?

A. There are two choices for customers. First choice, customers can setup filters on their @rogers.blackberry.net email account. The second choice is to remove the @rogers.blackberry.net email account. The @rogers.blackberry.net email account is a basic email account that is optional for customers. The Anti-SPAM filter on BIS does not provide user configurable settings for SPAM. Customers who no longer require the optional @rogers.blackberry.net email account can remove the account from their BlackBerry by clicking on the â?oEmail Settingsâ? icon or by selecting the Rogers WAP Browser and clicking â?oBlackBerry Internet Serviceâ?. Customers will be prompted for their username and password. Once logged in, click on â?oE-mail Accountsâ?. Next, click on the @rogers.blackberry.net email address. Click on â?oDeleteâ? to remove the account. Customers can also access their BIS account from their personal computer by going to www.rogers.com/bis.

BIS will allow customers to add up 10 POP3/IMAP email accounts. Therefore if customers have another email address that has anti-SPAM, and they are still receiving SPAM email, they should contact their ISP or Email Service Provider to configure the settings that best suits the need of the customer.

Additional information about setting up filters or removing the @rogers.blackberry.net email account is available at http://www.blackberry.com/knowledgecenterpublic/livelink.exe/fetch/2000/8021/270925/Receiving_SPAM_to_Hosted_BlackBerry.net_Address?nodeid=1288260&vernum=0 or customers may contact Rogers Wireless Technical Support at 1-866-931-DATA (3282) for further assistance.

If you have any further questions, please contact your Rogers representative.